A 38-year-old farmer, Francis Williams, has been sentenced to death
by hanging by a Delta State High Court sitting at Ozoro for robbing his
victims of N170 and a Nokia handset valued at N5,000.The court presided over by Justice A.O. Akpovi sentenced the farmer
having found him guilty of the charge of armed robbery punishable under
section (1(2)(a) of the robbery and firearms (Special Provision) Act
Cap RII Volume 14 Laws of the Federation , 2004.
Justice Akpovi also found the accused guilty on the charge of
wounding his victims with intent which got him a life sentence and
illegal possession of firearms with a sentence of 10 years imprisonment
respectively.
An Assistant Director in the Ministry of Justice T.R. Anuhwin,
through prosecution witnesses had told the court that on June 4, 2014 at
a Palm Kernel Farm located at Ewu in Ughelli South Local Government,
the accused robbed one Hon. Noah Ovie and his assistant of a Nokia
handset valued at N5,000 and a cash sum of N170 while armed with a cut
to size locally made gun.
Prosecution witnesses further told the court that nemesis however
caught up with the armed robber, who was on a solo mission, when he was
in the process of trying to rob them of other valuables as the two
victims summoned courage and overpowered their assailant.
The court was also told that in his desperation to escape after
being apprehended, he bit off one of the fingers of the former
Councillor, Hon. Noah Ovie, but his escape bid was foiled by passerby
who rushed to the scene and held him down and later handed him over to
the police.
The accused, who made a voluntary confessional statement to the
police, admitted to have committed the offence but retracted same during
trial, called no witness but testified for himself while the
prosecution called four witnesses in proof of its case.
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