Hope James
A 75-year-old man, not yet identified, have been arrested for raping and impregnating a 13-year-old girl left in his care.
The suspect who was remanded in prison by a Magistrate Court sitting in Awka, Ananmbra State, was arrested on Sunday night, December 11, and the teenager who was recently delivered of a baby, rescued.
He was on Wednesday arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, Awka, presided over by Chief Magistrate Genevieve Osakwe, on three counts of defilement, carnal knowledge, emotional, verbal and psychological abuse.
Ruling on bail application by the defense Counsel to the defendant, the court noted that the rate of rape and defilement of minors in the state is alarming; adding that the defendant is old enough to be the grandfather of the complainant.
The chief Magistrate went further to state that although the counsel to the defendant prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on the grounds of having acute diabetes and hypertension, he failed to present any medical report or hospital extract to that effect.
The court, however, refused bail for the defendant and ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody; while urging the prosecuting counsel to forward the police case file to the Office of the DPP, Ministry of Justice to enable it file information before the High Court.