Anthony Iwuoma
For using a hot kitchen knife to burn and disfigure the mouth of her nine-year-old housemaid, Miss Agatha Emmanuel, a police officer’s wife, Mrs. Precious Joseph, is to spend the next two years in prison without an option of fine
The convict had confessed to the offence, which took place at the Okwe area of Asaba in Delta State, because Agatha had disobeyed her and taken meat from the pot of soup.
A neighbor to Mrs. Johnson, Simeon Morba, who saw the deep injury on Agatha’s mouth, had reported the matter at the B Division Police Station at Okwe after Mrs. Joseph engaged him in a fight for wanting to know why she should abuse the child
She admitted in her statement to the police that she burnt Agatha’s mouth because she took meat from the pot of soup against her warning not to eat with meat.
Mrs. Joseph appeared at Court 11 in the Okwe Magisterial District, Delta State on Monday, August 3, 2020, to face a two-count charge in suit No: OMC/118C/2020.
The charges read, “That you Precious Joseph ‘f’ on 31st day of July 2020 at Iyasele Street, Okwe, in Okwe Magisterial District did unlawfully assaulted one Agatha Emmanuel ‘f’ by causing her harm with hot knife on her mouth and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 355 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C21 vol.1 Laws of Delta State of Nigeria 2006.
“That you Precious Joseph ‘f’ on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did threaten violence with a kitchen knife on Agatha Emmanuel ‘f’ and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 86 (2) of the Criminal Code Law Cap C21 vol.1 Laws of Delta State of Nigeria 2006.”
The Chief Magistrate, P.O. Obayuwana, who presided over the matter sentenced the 31-year-old woman to two years in prison without an option of fine for child abuse.
