From Emmanuel Ogoigbe Warri
Delta State High Court, sitting in Effurun has sentenced a woman, Mrs. Mary Attah, to death for killing her husband.
Mrs Attah was found guilty as charged after the court found her culpable for the murder of her husband, Pastor Darlington Attah, July 6, 2012 at Effurun.
Justice E. Oritsejafor held that the prosecution, led by Mr Patrick Mekako has proved beyond reasonable the essential ingredients of the offence of murder against the accused.
Rejecting the defence of the convict, who had pleaded self-defence, Justice Oritsejafor held: “I must also add that the evidence before this Court do not and cannot support the plea of self- defence in favour of the accused person. I agree with the learned assistant director for the prosecution that there is just no possible defence to avail the accused person when she stabbed her deceased husband in the neck with a knife and thereafter doused him with fuel before she struck the match on him, was to kill the deceased or do him grievous bodily harm. The law is trite that a man intends the natural consequences of his act.
“From the evidence before this Court and in particular the extrajudicial statement of the accused person, Exhibit A and the evidence of PW1 and PW2 which corroborate and is consistent with the facts contained in the said extrajudicial statement Exhibit A, I hold that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused person murdered her deceased husband on or about the 6th day of July, 2012, and I find the accused person guilty of the murder of Darlington Attah as charged. Accused person is accordingly, hereby convicted of the offence of murder.
“The sentence of this court upon you, Mary Attah is death by hanging by the neck till you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul”.
The Court was further told that the accused was infuriated by the telephone call at a time they were having a ‘nice time’ which prompted her to rush to the kitchen, collected the knife and pepper which she rubbed on her husband’s face to immobilise him before stabbing him in the neck.
Not satisfied, she doused the husband who was already weak as a result of excessive bleeding with fuel and set him ablaze. He later gave up the ghost at the Warri Central Hospital.