Convicted of manslaughter, man bags 10-yr jail time for raping 5-yr-old to death

A 21-year-old man who raped a five-year-old girl to death at Akede, Sagbama LGA, Bayelsa, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail—for manslaughter.

Sagbama High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State made the decision to punish Timiondu Jephtah that way though his crime led to the death of the minor in 2016.

The Presiding Judge, Justice E.G. Umukoro, in his ruling in suit No. SHC/4C/2016, with one count of murder brought against the accused by the State Ministry of Justice, declared that the charge became manslaughter due to the inability of the prosecution to prove the alleged intent to commit murder.

Umukoro also said the court was mindful of the rapist youthful age, hoping he could make amends in the future.

Acting Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ebimietei Ekeowei Ottah, described the ruling as a victory to the victims of rape, defilement and violence against women in the state.

“It has been a worrisome practice in Bayelsa State and more worrisome is the issue of negotiation with culprits by parents of victims of defilement or rape. It can no longer be tolerated as settlement or swept under the carpet,” she said.

Jephtah was 16 when he committed the crime—of raping the minor to death, and dumping her lifeless body into an abandoned fishpond.

Deme Pamosoo Esq., the counsel for the victim’s parents, had ensured that the victim’s body was recovered, autopsy conducted by the police, and presented the case to the state’s Director of Public Prosecution’s recommendation for trial.

The judge ordered that the defendant be detained at the Okaka Correctional Centre, Yenagoa, or elsewhere as the governor of the state might determine for a period of 10 years.