For pleading guilty to beating her eight-year-old brother to death over theft of meat from a pot of soup, Justice Adedayo Akintoye of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere yesterday sentenced a cook, James Janet, to 14 years imprisonment.Janet beat her brother, Saviour Effiong James, to death for stealing meat at their residence in Ilupeju area at about 8:00p.m. on August 10, 2009.
Following Janet’s plea of guilty to an amended charge of manslaughter brought against her by the Lagos State government, the trial judge, Justice Akintoye, convicted and sentenced her to 14 years imprisonment. The judge said the 14 years imprisonment would take effect from August 21, 2009 when she was remanded by a magistrates’ court. She said the defendant entered a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution and pleaded guilty to an amended charge of manslaughter.
The judge said: “The defendant pleaded guilty to the offence as charged and has been remorseful for the offence of manslaughter committed against Saviour Effiong. “In view of this therefore, Janet James, is hereby found guilty of manslaughter contrary to Section 317 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2003, and is accordingly convicted of same.
