Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 31 March 2016

Source: GNA

Nigerian student jailed for indecent assault

File photo File photo

Douglas Okundowa a.k.a Douglas Obagie, a student, was on Tuesday sentenced to six months imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court on the charge of indecent assault.

The Court said it was unable to convict him on the charges of kidnapping and defilement of a child under 16 years.

The Court however convicted Okundowa on indecent assault after he admitted that he kissed and had “deep romance” with the victim who was 14 years when the incident took place but denied having sex with the victim.

According to the Court the medical report was inconclusive as to whether or not the victim had been defiled.

The Court also noted that the victim was not 20 years as the accused person alleged adding that doubts over the victim age was cleared when her birth certificate indicated that she was 14.

Prosecution case was that the complainant was a banker residing in Accra and he was a guardian to the victim.

Accused person, prosecution said was a student of Intercom Programming and Manufacturing Company Limited (IPMC) a college of technology in Accra.

Accused resides at A-Lang, near Santa Maria.

Prosecution said in April last year, Okundowa contacted the victim, a Senior High Student on social media and promised to buy her a smart phone when school reopened.

On June 3, last year, the convict directed the victim to meet him at Santa Maria for the smart phone. At about 1600 hrs the same day, the convict met the victim and lured her into his house at A-Lang.

According to prosecution, Okundowa kept the victim in his room and had sex with her.

The victim who feared that her guardian would go to her school to enquire about her pleaded with the convict to let her go but he refused.

The convict rather sent a hoax text telling the victim’s guardian that the victim and her other colleagues had been attacked by armed robbers and the robbers were abusing the females among them.

Prosecution said the complainant forwarded the text message to the Police and Okundowa was arrested.

Okundowa denied having sex with the victim but admitted that he had “deep romance” with the victim.

In Okundowa’s room, the police found three unused male condom and one used female condom.

The victim was sent to the hospital and medical report submitted indicated that “Hymenal ring torn at multiple sites with reddened restibuee but no bleeding.”

The report concluded that “Defilement possible.”