That Rape Case That Attracted N500,000 Bail

An Apapa Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Tuesday admitted a 26-year-old man, Gbenga Omotehinse, to bail in the sum of N500,000. Omotehinse allegedly raped and defrauded a lady of N56,000 on the pretext of renting a room to her. 

The Magistrate, Titus Abolarinwa, said the accused, a resident of Olodi-Apapa Area of Lagos, should produce two sureties in like sum. Abolarinwa said the sureties must be gainfully employed and also show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. Omotehinse is facing a two-count charge of obtaining money under false pretense and rape. 

The prosecutor, Insp. Tony Elibeh, told the court that the accused committed the offences on July 13 at Adidas Field, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos. Elibeh said the accused collected N56,000 from the complainant , with a promise to rent a room to her, under false pretense. 

“Omotehinse just wanted to take advantage of the complainant; he spent her money and refused to rent the room to her as promised. 

“The complainant said that the accused claimed the money paid for the room was insufficient and asked her to sleep with him as a way of completing the payment. “She said that the accused threatened not to rent the room to her nor refund her money if she did not sleep with him.

“The complainant said that the accused forcefully had carnal knowledge of her without her consent and still refused to refund her money after raping her. “She reported the case to the police and the accused was arrested,’’ Elibeh said. 

The prosecutor said the offences contravened sections 258 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, which attracts 15-year jail term on conviction. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Abolarinwa adjourned the case till Aug. 22 for further hearing.

SOURCE: Vanguardngr

Franca Asemota Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Trafficking Girls From Nigeria To Europe For Prostitution

In March 2015, Franca Asemota, was arrested by the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) on the suspicion of money laundering offenses.

It was found that she is wanted in the UK by the National Crime Agency of the UK on charges of child trafficking

She is accused of organizing a thick network that transports young girls, especially teenagers, from villages in Nigeria and sending them to Europe via London. The innocent kids are lured by promises of a better life, jobs and education but are forced to sell their bodies for money when they get into these countries

The judge ordered that Franca Asemota be extradited to the United Kingdom to face trial for the charges filed against her.

The 38-year-old has now been convicted on 3rd August at Isleworth Crown Court of eight counts of conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual exploitation, two counts of trafficking persons outside of the UK for sexual exploitation and two counts of assisting unlawful immigration.

Evidence showed that she facilitated the trafficking of around 40 people, mainly young girls, between August 2011 and May 2012.

She has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

SOURCE: Womanng

Synagogue building collapse: Court grants engineers N20​ ​m​illion​ bail​​

The two engineers who constructed the collapsed seven-storey guest house of the Synagogue Church of All Nations — Akinbela Fatiregun and Oladele Ogundeji — were on Tuesday in Lagos granted N20 million bail.

An Ikeja High Court gave the ruling at the hearing of the bail application for the engineers.

Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo said:”The bail application hereby succeeds and here are the bail conditions.

“The defendants are hereby granted N10million bail each with two sureties in like sum.’’

The engineers have since April 19 been remanded at Kirikiri Maximum Prisons after they had entered a plea of

​”​not guilty​”​ to a 111-count charge bordering on gross negligence and criminal manslaughter.
The Sept. 12, 2014 building collapse left 116 persons, 85 of whom were South Africans, dead.

The Coroner’s Inquest instituted by the Lagos State Government had in its verdict on July 8, 2015 said the building collapse was “caused by structural failure due to a combination of designs and detailing errors’’.

The coroner ordered that Synagogue church should be investigated and proceeded against by the relevant authorities for not possessing necessary building permits, while the two engineers involved in the construction of the building should be tried for criminal negligence.

The judge said the defendants should present a surety who should be a civil servant with a minimum of Grade Level 14 and whose employment shall be verified by the State Head of Service.

“The second surety shall be a house owner with property located in Lagos and also provide utility bills and evidence of tax payment.

“The defendants must deposit their international passports with the Chief Registrar of the High Court of Lagos and the defendants shall be verified by the Chief Registrar.’’

The case was adjourned to May 19, May 20 and June 1, June 2 and June 3 for hearing. (NAN)

SOURCE: Premiumtimesng

Bride Found Out New Husband Was Convicted Paedophile One Week After Wedding

Jazmin Cullen’s honeymoon turned from a dream to a nightmare when she found out the man she had just married was a convicted paedophile. 

When Jazmin met Jason Cullen in a pub, she thought he was The One and the pair married within months. 

But she was horrified when her grandmother found child abuse images on a laptop that Cullen had borrowed. 

After reporting him to the police, Jazmin found out that 31-year-old Cullen, a former ambulance call operator, had lied to her about his identity and criminal past. 

Two years earlier he had been jailed for possessing 8,000 child abuse images and exchanging them with other paedophiles. 

He served half of a two year prison sentence and met Jazmin shortly after being released. 

After being reported, police searched the house the couple were staying in and Cullen was charged; he pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images at Sutton Magistrates’ Court in April 2011. 

But after hearing he had already spent 14 weeks in custody since his arrest, he was given an 18-month community order and fined £85. 

The court heard he had allegedly been abused aged 16, but no one was ever arrested, charged or prosecuted.

Horrified Jazmin, from Carshalton, Surrey, said: “He seemed like such a normal and charming man and still to this day I find it very hard to believe it is the same person. 

"I wanted to believe it was all a mistake. At no point did I ever support his actions, but I wanted to believe that it was not true. 

"Seeing him convicted was a mix of relief, complete devastation and disbelief. 

"Divorcing him will be the final step in moving on but so far he has denied me that." 

But the nightmare isn’t over for Jazmin, as she finds herself unable to divorce Cullen because he is refusing to cooperate, dragging out the legal end to their marriage. 

According to Jazmin, Cullen has continued to change his name and whereabouts, making divorcing him impossible. She is now looking into getting a decree nisi divorce, on the grounds they have lived apart for long enough. 

"At one point I wasn’t sure if there was any hope out there, but now I’m doing really well now in my life,” she said. 

SOURCE: Yahoonews