A Magistrate Court in Imo State has sentenced Rose Okon to six months in prison for assaulting her 14-year-old niece by pouring hot water on her head and body.
The court, presided over by Chief Magistrate C.J. Nkwoada, convicted Okon after she pleaded guilty to the assault charge brought against her by the police.
According to the charge sheet, the incident occurred on September 19 at about 6:00 p.m. in Umuneke, Ngor Okpala, within the Ngor Okpala Magisterial District of Imo State.
The charge alleged that Okon poured hot water on the minor, identified as Favour Emmanuel, causing her grievous harm.
The charge read: “that you Rose Okon F, on the 19th of September at 1800 hrs at Umuneke, Ngor Okpala in the Ngor Okpala Magisterial district did assault one Favour Emmanuel, 14 years by pouring hot water on her head and body, which caused her grievous harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 355 of the Criminal Code Cap C38 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 as applicable in Imo State of Nigeria.”
During the proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Sampson Obodo, presented photographs showing the injuries sustained by the teenager. He also tendered statements made to the police by the complainant and the victim.
The prosecution further presented a statement from Stand For Humanity Foundation, a human rights organisation that was involved in initiating Okon’s arrest.
Following Okon’s guilty plea and conviction, the court asked her to make an allocution, giving her an opportunity to plead for leniency before sentencing.
Okon reportedly appealed to the court for mercy, while her lawyer, Innocent Onyekwere, also urged the magistrate to be lenient in determining the punishment.
The court subsequently sentenced Okon to six months’ imprisonment.
However, the magistrate gave her an alternative to imprisonment, ruling that she could pay a fine of N50,000 instead of serving the six-month jail term.
The case has drawn attention to the treatment of children under the care of adults and the legal consequences of acts that cause physical harm to minors.
