By Hilltopvoices Team
Hilltopvoices now has it on good authority that the Officer who raped a 17 years old breastfeeding mother in Bamenda in June 2018 has been handed a seven years jail term by the Bamenda Military Court.
The landmark judgement was announced this Thursday November 7, 2019 almost 17 months after the incident occurred. The officer whose name circulated as Mbita Arthur appeared in court for the first time of the 24 of June 2018 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court found him guilty after several hearings. The survivor will also benefit a sum of 3M FCFA. We hear the sum will be paid by the Ministry of defense which had condemned the act at the time it happened but gender based violence activities and child protection advocates have been demanding more.
We are told celebrations are within the circles of the activists and advocates who now think many can still get justice if they continue to denounce and report all cases of gender based violence and sexual abuse in particularly especially during conflicts...
It should be recalled the general outcry for justice was as a result of a video that went viral with a young girl explaining how she had been raped by a military officer at veterinary junction because she was not in possession of a national identity card..
Emerging detail:
The judgement was pronounced by Justice Ajuyo Ignatius sitting with two military Assessors on the 7th of November 2019 at the Military Court Bamenda.at 11:30am
Counts on which the accused was held:
‐Rape ,contrary to section 396 of penal code
‐Illegal possession of cannabis sativa contrary to section 102 of law no97/019 of 07/08/97 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
‐Breakage of rules,contrary to section 40 of military justice code.
The 3 million awarded to the civil claim is or disgrace, humiliation and trauma felt by the victim. MINDEF/DAAR)to be vicariously liable as the employer of the convict.
‐ payment of cost of proceedings at 70 thousand Francs to the court by the convict or serve a further 6 months imprisonment.
To this effect, an imprisonment warrant has been signed.The convict did not benefit from any mitigation because he is a civil servant.
Hilltopvoices now has it on good authority that the Officer who raped a 17 years old breastfeeding mother in Bamenda in June 2018 has been handed a seven years jail term by the Bamenda Military Court.
The landmark judgement was announced this Thursday November 7, 2019 almost 17 months after the incident occurred. The officer whose name circulated as Mbita Arthur appeared in court for the first time of the 24 of June 2018 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court found him guilty after several hearings. The survivor will also benefit a sum of 3M FCFA. We hear the sum will be paid by the Ministry of defense which had condemned the act at the time it happened but gender based violence activities and child protection advocates have been demanding more.
We are told celebrations are within the circles of the activists and advocates who now think many can still get justice if they continue to denounce and report all cases of gender based violence and sexual abuse in particularly especially during conflicts...
It should be recalled the general outcry for justice was as a result of a video that went viral with a young girl explaining how she had been raped by a military officer at veterinary junction because she was not in possession of a national identity card..
Emerging detail:
The judgement was pronounced by Justice Ajuyo Ignatius sitting with two military Assessors on the 7th of November 2019 at the Military Court Bamenda.at 11:30am
Counts on which the accused was held:
‐Rape ,contrary to section 396 of penal code
‐Illegal possession of cannabis sativa contrary to section 102 of law no97/019 of 07/08/97 on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
‐Breakage of rules,contrary to section 40 of military justice code.
The 3 million awarded to the civil claim is or disgrace, humiliation and trauma felt by the victim. MINDEF/DAAR)to be vicariously liable as the employer of the convict.
‐ payment of cost of proceedings at 70 thousand Francs to the court by the convict or serve a further 6 months imprisonment.
To this effect, an imprisonment warrant has been signed.The convict did not benefit from any mitigation because he is a civil servant.