Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo, the state capital, has on Thursday sentenced one Victor Etim-Eyo Obot to death by hanging for killing his father.
Obot, aged 36 and a native of Ikot Obio Mkpong Ikono in Uyo Local Government Area, was said to have killed his father whom he accused of being behind his misfortunes.
The trial judge, Justice Okon Okon in his judgement held that there were credible evidence that the deceased died after the accused attacked him with a matchet which was recovered at the scene of crime at number 7C, Abak Road, Uyo on 6th of July, 2019.
According to him, “There is a credible and acceptable evidence that the deceased died shortly after the accused attacked him with a matchet.
“I have no doubt that the accused did not only intend to cause the deceased grievous bodily harm but resolved to eliminate him for the nebulous, unsubstantiated allegation that his father was the cause of his problems.”
The Court held that “a man who stabs or inflicts matchet cut on another on the neck region, is deemed to have intended to kill or cause grievous bodily harm to the person.
“The intent to kill can be formed from the nature of the weapon used and the use of a lethal and death-threatening or dead-dealing weapon in the sensitive part of the body like neck.”
The Court further held that “the prosecution has led credible, cogent and acceptable evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt the essential ingredients of the offense of murder against the accused.”
“I hold therefore that the killing of the deceased by his son in the circumstances stated in the evidence in this case, was unlawful, inexcusable and unjustifiable”, the Court added.
Justice Okon also held that “the accused acted callously in the gruesome murder of his father. The accused betrayed his father. Even the Heavens weep over the senseless killing” of the old man, whose death “the son rejoiced over, and construed it as the beginning of his freedom from his problems.”
He said the deceased did not deserve to die by the very hand of his own son.
“I hereby find you, Victor Etimeyo Obot guilty of murder as charged and accordingly convict you. You are to be hanged by the neck untill you be dead”, Justice Okon pronounced.
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