A High Court Judge, Justice Hussein Baba -Yusuf on Tuesday passed a seven years jail term to a clergy, Pastor Basil Princewill, for the rape, impersonation, attempt to cause abortion and assisting miscarriage, of a 14 years old girl.
Justice Baba –Yusuf passed the verdict in Abuja, stating that the defendant was convicted on count one, which is rape and count three, abetment to cause abortion and not of the four count presented, ThisDay reports.
Baba-Yusuf stressed that, “by this conduct, he deserved to be kept away from the public. He would face the prison walls like a monastery so that when he comes out, he would have been born again.
“I must consider the fate of a young girl and the society. It is even worrisome when the person involved is a man of God who we should look up to as next to God, those who serve in the Lord’s vineyard are expected to be an example to the society.”
He stated that the court was aware that Princewill was a first offender and accordingly sentenced to seven years for the offence of rape and five years for the offence of abetment which will run concurrently, adding that it would serve as strong warning that such attitude as rape and others would not be tolerated.
He tagged the crime, “Shameful, disgraceful and satanic act”, stating that the testimony of the three prosecution witnesses, PW1, mother of the victim, PW2, the victim herself and PW3, the doctor all established a guilty verdict against the defendant.
”I believe the evidence of the PW2 (victim) to be true and the PW1 (her mother) told the story in the same way the victim told the court too. The evidence of the accused was inconsistent and confusing also and the direct evidence given by the victim to her mother narrated the ordeal the victim went through in the hands of the accused.” He said.
The accused, Princewill, is the founder of Mountain Mover Ministry International in Nyanya, Abuja.
He allegedly had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl, between July 27 and December 31, 2011 at Mountain Mover Ministry International and his house at Nyanya without her consent, impregnated her and attempted to cause miscarriage on the victim.
The witness, Felix Ogunbade of Fountainhead Medical Centre, Mararaba in Nasarawa State, narrated “the examination conducted on Favour as of the time she was brought to the clinic revealed that she was given an abortion drug.”
The case was filed by the police in June 2012 as the offences contradict sections 282, 179, 95 and 85 of Penal Code.
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