More troubles for undergraduate acid victim

Photo of the acid victim




Franca Ogbu gained admission in 2010, to study Economics at the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, now known as Modibbo Adama University of Technology.

It won’t be an exaggeration or understatement, if one says the family rolled out drums to celebrate her admission into the university, a feat that made other families in the community in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State, green with envy.

In fact, the parents’ joy knew no bounds, even as they toiled day and night, farming and engaging in petty trading, to raise some money to make their first, beautiful daughter’s dream, which is to have university education, come true.

But unfortunately, as she secured the much awaited admission, fate had packaged surprise, fatal gift for her, literarily delivered to her by a desperate, violent lover boy. And that is the genesis of her woes. According to information, when the prime suspect, (names withheld), a final year Civil Engineering student, saw the ‘fresher’, he was entrapped by her beauty. He quickly went to woo her before other intending students could beat him to it.

But the girl told him off, reminding him that her primary assignment in the university was to study come out in flying colours and not to have boyfriends. “The girl is part a one student, she gained admission into the university in 2010. When the boy saw her, he told her that he would like to be her boyfriend, but she refused. The boy became angry and threatened to deal with her. She was reading one night, when he came there poured raw acid on her and ran away,” Chief Morgan Okwoche, told Daily Sun on phone.

Undoubtedly, the acid attack has changed her world for the worst, as she had been in critical condition at the hospital for the past one year. But the suspect had been walking freely in the Streets. Franca’s condition is so serious that it even attracted the sympathy of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“You can imagine, her case touched the ASUU members such, that they even started to levying themselves to help the girl. You can imagine the lecturers, contributing money to help the girl,” Okwoche said.

The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Dr Usman Abubakar, disclosed how the suspect hired one of his friends, whose name was simply given as Nelson, to carry out the dastardly act. “On that early morning, at about 1.15 a.m. Franca was reading in the Mechanical Engineering block of the institution, when someone, who stood in front of her, called her name, and when she raised her face, he poured the concentrated acid on her,” Dr Abubakar said.
Till date, Franca is still lying in pains, in the surgical ward of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Daily Sun also gathered that report of the investigating panel, set up by the university indicted Chibuzor. Indeed, the report said it was he, who sponsored the acid attack on the victim for turning down his overture.

After the incident, the suspect was dismissed from the university and subsequently, charged to court.
As part of its resolution, reached at the end of its meeting, held at the University of Ibadan (UI) Oyo State, on Sunday, September 11, 2011, the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU, condemned in strong terms, the barbaric attack on Franca. The resolution says in parts: “NEC condemned in strong terms, the pouring of acid on a part one, Economics student of Federal University of Technology, Yola, Miss Franca Ogbu, by a fellow male student.

NEC considered this brutal act a typical man’s inhumanity to a fellow human being. NEC further resolved to monitor closely, the prosecution procedure of the culprit and demands that the police handle the matter with the utmost transparency and forthrightness required.” ASUU also appealed to all well-meaning and sympathetic Nigerians, philanthropic and civil society organisations, First Ladies, NGOs, women organisations, parents, teachers and students, to contribute generously to a fund launched to save Franca, described by the union as “one of us.”
Another thing bothering the union and Franca’s parents is how to restore the badly damaged face, through 13 plastic surgeries as recommended by the doctors.

And most of the critical surgeries would be carried out abroad and they are expected to gulp a whopping sum of N12 million. Already, Bauchi zone of ASUU has launched a campaign aimed at raising part, if not all the targeted amount. Another source of worry for her parents, Daily Sun gathered, is that the mastermind of the evil act was released by the police, with the help of some members of his church while the girl is writhing in pains.
Police had set the suspect free on the grounds that he had been charged to court. But there are doubts about whether the police actually charged the suspect to court.

Another dilemma is that her parents have no money to pay lawyers to pursue the case to its logical end until justice is done. ASUU, again reinforced its earlier appeal to members of the public to help the victim to get justice and for her face to be restored. The concentrated acid damaged the victim’s nose, hairs, mouth, eyes, among others.
Daily Sun learnt that the authorities of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital waived the medical expenses incurred by the victim, from the 11 surgeries on her and other medications. The hospital did not stop at that, it is also making contacts with doctors outside the shore of Nigeria for other surgeries and to see if there could be discount.

Meanwhile, Okwoche has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, to ensure that the suspect is brought to justice, to act as deterrent to others. Good spirited Nigerians, corporate bodies, governments/officials, among others, have been requested to assist the victim, by donating generously to the bank account opened by ASUU. It is Fidelity bank, UNIMAID branch, the account name FRANCA’S TREATMENT, while the account number is 6051446636.

Robbers kill eight in bullion van attack

inset - Governor Amechi of Rivers State



Armed robbers on Friday attacked a bullion van at Rukpoku Market on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, killing five policemen and three pedestrians in the process.

The robbers had trailed the bullion van up to Rukpoku before intercepting and raining bullets into the vehicle.

The commotion that ensued as a result of the deafening sound of the hoodlums’ gunshots caused multiple accidents around the crime scene.

An eyewitness told SATURDAY PUNCH that the robbers intercepted the bullion van at about 5 pm and opened fire immediately.

It was gathered that three bystanders, who were hit by stray bullets, died instantly while an undisclosed amount of money was ferried away by the bandits.

The source said, “The panic that followed the armed robbers’ operation caused a lot of accidents. If you get to the crime scene, you will notice that a lot of vehicles were damaged as a result of the commotion.

“The armed robbers shot and killed about five or six policemen and three civilians. People were running helter-skelter in order to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

“But in the end, three persons that had nothing to do with the bullion van were killed. This happened at Rukpoku Market at about 5 pm today.”

It was gathered that the policemen were taken unawares by the hoodlums, who shot several times before they went straight to the bullion van and allegedly took away a huge sum of money.

The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Suleiman Abba, who confirmed the incident, said he was yet to get the details of the incident.

Abba, however, explained that contrary to the report that six policemen were killed; two of his men were lost to the attack.

Woman killed over 3,500 naira

Mba

When 52-year-old Mrs. Josephine Mba, mother of four and dealer in food stuff and provisions, opened her shop on 35 Obiwali Road, Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt, in Rivers State last March 28, she never had any inkling that it was the last time she would ever do so. That day, four men, who acted for government, killed her in cold blood.

Saturday Sun gathered that this trader had hardly opened for business that day when operatives of Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority stormed her shop. The men, four in number, had demanded to collect her sanitation fee of N3, 500. Having paid, Mrs. Mba presented her receipt. Apparently angry that the woman had paid and therefore would not give them tip, the sanitation agency operatives pounced on her and attempted to take away a bag of rice from her shop.

It was gathered that Mrs. Mba had held on to the bag of rice, since she saw no basis for the sanitation agency’s action. That was her greatest mistake. The four men turned her into a punching bag. As they battered her, she slumped and died on the spot.

Saturday Sun gathered that the sanitation agency’s operatives, on realising that the woman had slumped, jumped into their waiting van and fled. Concerned neighbours had promptly reported the incident to the sanitation agency’s office. Since no action was forthcoming, they carried Mrs. Mba’s corpse to the police headquarters, on Moscow Road, demanding justice. The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abba Suleiman, it was learnt, ordered the immediate arrest of those who were involved in the matter.
Ben Ugwuegbulam, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, confirmed the incident. He also said the matter had been charged to court. Counsel to the Mba family told Saturday Sun, however, that the case has not been properly charged to any court of competent jurisdiction.

According to Mr. Higher King of Higher King Chambers, who represents the Mba family, the sanitation agency and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, whose operatives were also involved in the incident, are playing games with the matter.

He told Saturday Sun: “They are either buying time or playing the ostrich. We are talking about human life and up till now the government has not sent anybody to sympathise with family. This attitude alone can increase the psychological trauma the family has been going through.”
When contacted, the new chairman of the Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority, Mr. George Sogbewe Briggs, condemned the battery of the woman, which caused her death. He however, said that what happened must have been an accident.

Sogbewe said although the incident happened before his tenure, the sanitation authority would do everything to ensure that the matter was settled amicably.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s husband, Mr. Fidelis Mba, has condemned the lackadaisical manner the state and federal governments handled the matter. He said: “This is an incident that involved both federal and the state governments but no official from the two governments has bothered to pay even a condolence visit to my family. The worst is that while my wife is in the mortuary, the people that killed her are still moving freely in the streets. They have not been charged to court. Some of them arrested were horridly released.”
Mr. Mba revealed that he recorded double tragedy the day his wife died, as thieves broke into his warehouse and carted away goods worth over N2 million.

On how he learnt of his wifes death, Mr. Mba said: “I was travelling to Lagos that day. We were already at Ore when I got a call that my wife was dead. I had to return to Port Harcourt. I went to the BMH mortuary, where I saw my wife’s corpse. I felt empty and confused, because it was my wife that did every thing in my home. She manages the home and our finance.

“People who killed her have not said they are sorry. They are behaving as if it was a fowl they killed. They should know that even if you kill a fowl, the owner will ask for it. I have not heard anything from the government; no single government official has come to my family on a condolence visit.”
Most painful to Mr. Mba is that those who were responsible for his wife’s death are free. “My wife was an innocent and a law abiding citizen. You can see that she had already paid the sanitation fee. She was killed for being law abiding and they don’t want to bring her killers to book,” he lamented.
Saturday Sun gathered that to ensure that justice is done, some human rights activists, civil rights and women organisations are planning a major protest in Port Harcourt.

A human right activist, who pleaded anonymity, told our reporter that the Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority has become notorious for such deaths. According to him, the death of Mrs. Mba is not the first linked to the excesses of operatives of the agency.

Gunmen kill two people in Kaduna church

Kaduna State Governor Ibrahim Yakoya



At least two people have been shot dead and 11 wounded after gunmen launched an overnight attack on a church in northern Nigeria, officials told the BBC on Friday.
The attack happened in the Kaduna State town of Zonkwa, which saw serious violence after April's election.
The BBC says the incident is thought to be a revenge attack.
Thousands of Muslim Hausas and Fulanis were forced from their homes in April.
The report says that some of those attacked had vowed to take revenge, as had the Boko Haram Islamist militant group, based further north in Borno State.
The BBC reports that 3,000 people are still living in a camp in the state capital, Kaduna, after their houses were burnt in the Zonkwa post-election clashes, which left several people dead.
A police spokesman told the BBC that some of those shot in the latest attack on a congregation performing a night vigil were in a critical condition.
Kaduna mirrors Nigeria as a whole, with the south largely inhabited by Christian groups, while Muslims form a majority in the north.
In April's elections, Patrick Ibrahim Yokowa became the state's first Christian governor.
He belongs to the People's Democratic Party, which governs at the federal level.
The opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) gains much of its support from Muslim groups.

Life for Leigh man who suffocated Thai wife

Rickie







A man who suffocated his Thai wife in their home has been jailed for life.
Rickie Nehls, 30, of Maple Crescent, Leigh was found guilty of murdering Pornpilai Srisroy at Preston Crown Court and sentenced to life, with an order to serve a minimum of 12 years.
Nehls, also known as Rickie La-Touche, to
ld police he had killed Mrs Srisroy after she threatened to leave him.
Senior investigating officer Andy Tattersall said police "may never know exactly what happened that morning".
Nehls was arrested on 26 April after he told his mother he had killed his wife.
Before calling the police, a family member went to the couple's home to check if what Nehls was saying was true.
La-Touche will have to live with the awful knowledge that he is responsible for killing his wife”

Having confirmed his confession, they called the emergency services, who discovered Mrs Srisroy's body on a bed upstairs with a pillow over her face.
Nehls told police the couple had been arguing and Mrs Srisroy had threatened to leave him and return to Thailand.
He said that after further arguing, all he could remember was getting on top of his wife and that he thought he had choked her.
A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of Mrs Srisroy's death was asphyxiation.
Mr Tattersall said it was "a tragic case where a young woman's life has been taken at the hands of her husband".
"Unfortunately, we may never know exactly what happened that morning, but I hope that La-Touche's sentence is of some small comfort to Pornpilai's family and friends," he said.
"La-Touche will now also have to live the rest of his life with the awful knowledge that he is responsible for killing his wife."

I ‘ve excreted 15 times and nothing was found – Baba Suwe

BABA SUWE IN COURT: Alhaji Babatunde Nurudeen Omidina, aka Baba Suwe arriving Ikeja High Court yesterday.







LAGOS – An Ikeja High Court, yesterday, ordered the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to release the popular comedian, Mr Babatunde Omidina, a.k.a. Baba Suwe, on Friday, if no drug was found on him even as the detained comedian told the court that he had excreted 15 times in his 21 days in the custody of the agency but nothing was found.
The court had ordered the anti-drug agency to produce Baba Suwe in court, yesterday, following a motion filed by his counsel, Mr Bamidele Aturu. He was arrested by NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on October 12 on his way to Paris, for allegedly ingesting suspected narcotic substance.
Following an application for his release by his counsel, the court admitted him to bail in the sum of N500,000, with one surety in like sum, while the surety’s status and address must be verified by the Chief Registrar of the court.
Baba Suwe’s international passport with the NDLEA is to be deposited with the Chief registrar’s office pending the determination of the substantive suit, while the bail will take absolute effect on Friday, November 4, if he does not excrete the suspected narcotic drugs.
He was brought to court at about 9.am in a white Urvan bus with number plate FG 61 T02 and he wore a white foil lace and brown palm slippers, accompanied by operatives of NDLEA, who did not allow anybody, including newsmen to get close to him.
The court room was filled to capacity with armed policemen at strategic positions to maintain order. Over two thousand spectators, friends and well wishers, waited anxiously to get a glimpse of him
Ruling on the comedian’s bail application, the court reiterated the fact that the liberty of the applicant had been grossly violated, adding that there was no order superior to the constitution.
“He is due for immediate release. I am going to grant him bail and if there is a development, you should inform the court,” the court held.

The trial judge, Justice Yetunde Idowu, however sought to know how Baba Suwe was treated in custody and the following dialogue ensued:
Court: Baba Suwe how are you?
Baba Suwe: I am fine.
Court: Are they maltreating you?
Baba Suwe: No
Court: Do you eat?
Baba Suwe: Yes, I do eat but with my money. They do bring my food by 11 am and when I am hungry, I use my money to buy food and I have excreted 15 times but nothing was found.”
Baba Suwe’s counsel, Mr Bamidele Aturu, had argued that the applicant’s arrest and continuous detention was illegal and against the constitution of the country, adding that the NDLEA has no case and had breached the fundamental rights of his client.
“The agency did not proceed to the Federal High Court to procure a detention order and this was nine days after he was arrested and they had been served with the processes of this court.
We submit that the period between October 12 to 21, 2011 when the order was procured was unaccounted for, the court should hold that the continuous detention of the applicant is wanton violation and a flagrant disregard of his fundamental human rights to liberty,” he argued.
Aturu added that the court needs to send a strong signal, so that such will not happen again and the continuous detention of the applicant on the basis of conflicting and contradicting evidence would amount to a judicial imprimatur.
NDLEA counsel, Mr. Femi Oloruntoba, who opposed Baba Suwe’s application, argued that he was arrested based on the suspicion that he ingested some narcotic substances and had been subjected to various scans.
Oloruntoba noted that the first scan, an NCCT evaluation of the abdomen and pelvis reveals that there were multiple hyper dense nodular particles in the upper gastro-intestinal tract, consistent with large amount of drug ingestion but the nature of the drug would be ascertained by relevant laboratory investigations.
According to him, the latest scan result showed “that the foreign body is now moving down from the upper abdomen and it is a matter of time before it is excreted” although he could not give the exact time.
He argued that the applicant was detained in line with the NDLEA Act, adding that they took advantage of Section 35 (5) (b) of the constitution
Baba Suwe in his fundamental human rights application filed against the NDLEA, had prayed the court to declare that his arrest and continued detention since October 12 by the agency was a gross violation of his fundamental human rights.
He had asked for damages of N100million and a public apology in conspicuous pages of two national dailies.

Ojukwu marks 78 birthday

Ojukwu





The Igbo race will on Friday come out in their thousands in jubilation to mark the 78 birthday of the ex-Biafran war-Lord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Ndi-Igbo.
Nigerian Horn gathered that the birthday ceremony put together by members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafran (MASSOB) is expected to hold in Enugu, the traditional capital of th e Eastern region.
MASSOB members for weeks now had visited virtually all parts of the Eastern states in the country drumming support for the epoch making event.
According to a source from MASSOB, the former Biafran leader deserved nothing but a heroic birthday fiesta irrespective of his present health condition.
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (born November 4, 1933) was the President of the secessionist state of Biafra in Nigeria (1967-1970), during the Nigerian Civil War, and previously Military Governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria. He is usually referred to in news and other sources as simply Ojukwu, though he is also often called the Ikemba of Nnewi due to his holding of this title as a chieftaincy amongst the Igbo people.
Education
He was born in Zungeru, the son of Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu KBE, President of The African Continental Bank, first President of The Nigerian Stock Exchange and a business tycoon who was believed to be Nigeria’s first multi-millionaire. Chukwuemeka’s name meant “God has done well.” He attracted media publicity at a young age.[citation needed] In 1944, the young Ojukwu was briefly imprisoned for assaulting a white British colonial teacher who was humiliating a black woman at King’s College in Lagos, an event which generated widespread coverage in local newspapers.[citation needed] He then went on to study in Britain, first at Epsom College, in Surrey and later earned a Masters degree in history at Lincoln College, Oxford University.

JTF begins house-to-house search for arms in Maiduguri

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State says it has commenced house-to-house search for arms in the state.
Lt.Col. Hassan Mohammed, the JTF spokesman, said that the exercise would be backed by an air surveillance to track down people with questionable character.
He said that the arms recovery programme was the second phase of the JTF’s plan to make the state safer for people to go about their normal businesses.
The JTF had given people in possession of firearms October 31 deadline to surrender them to five designated collection centres in the state.
“With the expiration of the deadline, JTF has commenced house-to-house search for rifles and arms under its phase II programme of ridding Maiduguri metropolis and some towns in Borno State affected by the Boko Haram insurgency of illegal arms,” said Mohammed.
all the illegally possessed arms are fully retrieved. Right now, our targets are rifles, arms and improvised explosive devices, which are allegedly being used by the sect in attacking and killing people.”
He disclosed that the outfit had already conducted searches in Gomari, Mafoni, Kululuri and Bulabulin Ngarnnam areas of Maiduguri, adding that lots of rifles and ammunitions were retrieved.
He described the cooperation of the people as fantastic.
Mohammed said that at the end of the exercise, people with genuine licences would have their arms returned to them but warned that anybody caught in possession of arms illegally would face the wrath of the law.

Man, 28, docked for defiling girl, 4

Nigerian Minister of Justice - Mohammed Adoke









The Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Atani yesterday remanded a 28-year-old Chidebere Igwe in prison custody for allegedly defiling a four- year- old girl, Miss Chinaza Ogirishi in Ogbaru.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. E.G Offor, said the crime was against God and humanity, adding that the accused had committed the worst crime on earth.

The prosecution counsel, S.O Onele, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, (DSP), who read the charge to the accused said he had carnal knowledge of the little girl at Iyiowa Odekpe in Ogbaru council area of Anambra State.
“That you, Igwe Chidebere ‘m’ aged 28 years did have carnal knowledge of little Miss Chinaza Ogirishi ‘f’, who is four years old at Iyiowa Odekpe within Ogabru Magisterial District, thereby committing an offence punishable under section 200 of the criminal code.”

The accused, though pleaded not guilty was disappointed by the magistrate, who ordered for the presentation of medical report on the alleged rape on the little girl, arguing that the medical experts should come up with medical report of the damage done to the little girl.

However, drama ensued when the accused, who told the court that he had no counsel said he was innocent of the allegation, adding that he was being wrongly accused by the parents of the victim.
Chidebere, who told the court he was a bus conductor, also denied ever knowing the little girl while the mother of the victim, Mrs. Fransisca Ogirishi, in a swift reaction said the barbaric act became known when her daughter became sick.
She said “at the point of death, God opened the mouth of my daughter as she told me how Chidebere constantly took her to his room after giving her biscuit and I asked her what he did to her and she told me that ‘Chidebere used to bring what he uses to urinate and put in my own.”
Meanwhile after the victim told the court her ordeal through her mother, the presiding magistrate went into tears before she could control her emotion and ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody without any option of bail and adjourned the case till November 14, 2011 for further hearing.

Rapist lured Facebook friend to Wiltshire shed

Jameson


A rapist from Belfast has been jailed for life for an attack on an old friend who contacted him through Facebook.
William Jameson, 48, with an address at Finchampstead, Berkshire, lured the woman to a shed in Wiltshire, in November 2010.
He bound and gagged her, told her she was going to be a "sex slave" and, after raping her, he left her tied up with a rope around her neck.
He was jailed for life at Swindon Crown Court in England on Monday.
The court heard that the 31-year-old woman had met him when they were on a computer course in Ireland. She did not know that he had a history of violence.
She contacted him via the Facebook site and he invited her to England.
When she arrived, he tricked her into going to the shed where he forced her to the ground and tied her up with electric cable.
The court heard that he put a gag in her mouth and tied a rope around her neck and started to strangle her.
Begging to be freed she offered him money to leave her alone, but he raped her.
Escape
It was only when he went outside to answer a phone call that she managed to escape.
After Jameson was arrested, police searched his home and found he had more than 1,500 images of violent sexual child abuse on his computer.
He pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment and ten counts of making indecent images of children.
At Swindon Crown Court this week, Recorder Peter Blair QC jailed Jameson for life telling him he posed "a considerable risk of serious harm to the public."
Jameson, originally from north Belfast, had previously been jailed in 1986 for the attempted rape of an eight-year-old Belfast girl. He tried to kill her by hitting her over the head with a breezeblock.
After he was released from jail, Jameson moved to Dublin where in 1999 he was jailed for six years for abandoning another man who later died from strangulation and suffocation following a sado-masochistic sexual activity.
Jameson was originally charged with manslaughter but later pleaded guilty to recklessly engaging in conduct in which there was a danger of death.
He then moved to England where the attack later took place

Student Flogged to Death in Port Harcourt

Governor Chibuike Amechi

A young man studying at Shiloh Hills Remedial and Advanced Studies Academy located at No. 7 Rumuibekwe Street, near Shell Residential Area in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has allegedly flogged to death by his principal, one Mr Chudi Nwoko.
Rivers State police spokesperson, Ben Ugwuegbulem, who confirmed the incident said the late student, a 13-year-old was subjected to severe punishment until he slumped and died. He said the matter, which occurred on October 20 was not reported to the police until five days later.
"It was only reported after a team of the staff of the school went to condole the family of the deceased and a relative of the boy attacked and wounded the principal on the head. That was when the matter was reported to the police," Ugwuegbulem stated.
He said the case was currently under investigation at the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and that he did not have the full
particulars of the late student but promised to get back to our reporter
When THISDAY visited the school, a staff who refused to disclose his name told our correspondent that the case was already with the police and he would not comment on it.

culled from Thisday

Man smuggled python out of Dobbies Garden Centre

Python

Quinn


man who stole a python from a garden centre by smuggling it out in a chest pocket of his sweater has been jailed for four months.
Anthony Quinn, 41, took the snake from Dobbies Garden Centre near Stirling during a Christmas shopping expedition.
He was questioned by suspicious staff who had seen him fiddling with the locks on the snake's cage, but managed to walk out and drive off.
The non-venomous royal python, worth £75, has never been found.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard Quinn, from Edinburgh, had been out shopping for Christmas presents with his friend Scott Cruickshank when the theft occurred.
Kevin Corrins, prosecuting, said the pair had been in the aquatic section of the garden centre at about 16:30 on 19 December 2010.
The depute fiscal said: "A shopper became aware of the two accused both being within the cage in the front pocket of his top.
How dangerous is this snake? I certainly wouldn't want one in my front pocket”
End Quote Sheriff Wyllie Robertson
"They heard a crack and saw Quinn open one of the cages and put something from within the cage into the front pocket of his top.
"The shopper advised members of staff what he had witnessed. A member of staff then approached
‘’He then left the shop, got into his car and drove off.’’
The court heard Mr Cruickshank was then accused of being involved in some way, and began "making a scene".
Two members of staff asked him to leave before checking the cage and finding the royal python missing.
Jim Stephenson, defending Quinn, said his client had a "serious alcohol problem".
Before sentencing, Sheriff Wyllie Robertson asked: "How dangerous is this snake? It's not within my judicial knowledge but I certainly wouldn't want one in my front pocket."
The animal, which may have grown from half-a-metre long to more than three feet, was described as "quite shy".
Cruickshank, 38, also from Edinburgh, admitted admitted breach of the peace and was fined £450.

Man jailed for posting sex images of ex-partner online

Webber


A man who posted sexual images of his former girlfriend online as he stalked her via social networking sites has been jailed for four months.
Shane Webber, 23, from Nottingham, sent photographs and personal details about Ruth Jeffery, 22, to her family and strangers.
Webber admitted one count of harassment at an earlier hearing at Southampton Magistrates' Court.
Miss Jeffery said she was devastated by Webber's actions.
Outside court she said even if Webber had received the maximum jail sentence magistrates could impose - six months - it would not have made up for the hurt she had been caused.
She said: "I am extremely pleased with the outcome. The maximum sentence in a magistrates' court will never make up for the hurt he had put me through but I am pleased I can now put it behind me.
'Cruel and calculated'
"I was absolutely devastated when I found out it was him. I could not believe it was Shane. I did not want to believe it."
Miss Jeffery said she had been "intentionally controlled, belittled and harmed" by Webber, and that his behaviour was "cruel and calculated".
The court heard Webber also tried to implicate one of his friends, Lee Evans, by putting the posts in an email address bearing Mr Evans's name, leading to his arrest.
Webber was only found out when Miss Jeffery's family made their own enquiries and the emails were traced back to him.
Miss Jeffery, a computing science student at Loughborough University, said her family suspected it was Webber but she could not comprehend how he could do such a thing.
In mitigation, solicitor Janet Grey said: "He realises, for the first time, the devastating impact this has had on Ruth and her family."
District Judge Anthony Callaway said the offence was a "gross violation of Miss Jeffery's privacy".
He also imposed a five-year restraining order on Webber prohibiting him from contacting Miss Jeffery or posting images of her online.

Gang rape in ABSU, reactions continue

Nigerians on the internet have continued to express disgust at the rape of a young Nigerian girl by five young men suspected to be students of the Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State.
The first official reaction at the federal level has come from the Minister of Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who on Sunday described the rape as despicable and immoral.
A statement by the Minister’s spokesman for media, Julius Ogunro, said, “In the video, the young woman was threatened, rough handled, and sexually exploited by the men, who are said to be cultists. To make matters worse, this despicable and wicked act was recorded and circulated by the alleged rapists, who blurred their own faces. This behavior has rightly caused outrage among young Nigerians, parents and all those who have seen the video recording.
“The Honourable Minister views the behavior of the perpetrators as decadent and barbaric; and believes the attitude of these men, if indeed they are young Nigerians, does not represent the character and nature of the Nigerian Youth.
“Mallam Abdullahi therefore calls on the University authorities and relevant security agencies to step up action to ensure that the heartless and wicked perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted. He has also promised to help rehabilitate the young victim if she would make herself available to the Ministry.
“The Honourable Minister calls on Nigerian Youth to remain focused and positive-minded, disclosing that his Ministry will soon begin to implement programmes that will address their concerns.”
What the law says
It was alleged the victim insulted one of the unidentified males who decided to teach her a lesson she would never forget.
According to the rape video, which lasted well over an hour, the girl initially tried to fight them off but when it seemed hopeless, amidst slaps, beatings, and even threats to kill her, she gave in. She started begging and pleading, and after her pleas fell on deaf ears, she begged them to kill her as she could not take the pain anymore.
And in between screams of pain the boys laughing, mocked her and she was told to co-operate or undergo two more days of torture.
Rape in ABSU has been a steady occurence as most cases are not reported because most feel it is better to keep quiet than to face the stigmatisation. According to the Penal Code (Nigerian Laws Cap 89), applicable in the north of Nigeria, defines rape as "a man is said to commit rape who, save in the case referred to in subsection (2), has sexual intercourse with a woman in any of the following circumstances - against her will; without her consent; with her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her in fear of death or hurt; with her consent."
Under the Criminal Code Act section 358, any person who commits the offence of rape is liable to imprisonment for life, with or without caning. Section 359 says any person who attempts to commit the offence of rape is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years, with or without caning.
With over 1,356,662 downloads of the ABSU rape video on just one social network, #nowtrending on twitter and millions of views of facebook, the attitude of the general society also helps to criticise rape victims directly and indirectly. The effect of rape on impressionable girls has been seen compared to armed robbery. Many rape victims have attempted suicide or killed themselves to escape societal judgement.
In the video, the girl’s face is clearly seen but the faces of the 5 boys remain blurred. Rather you could specifically hear them speak Igbo and English, call at each other. One of the students identified as Wisdom said; "Wisdom done dey talk now." There was the mention of another name Chisom, Zaki, Uchenna. Zaki bragged "do you know who Zaki is?" While the victim begged Uchenna to stop as he was raping her. The 5th member's name is not yet certain, but sounded like Ifeanyi or Ugbaanyi. One of them identified himself as a 400 level law student, while another an IT student, and another had a car.
Whether an act of rape is reported or not, whether its victim gets justice in court or not, the fact is that its consequences on the sufferer are enormous. These include trauma, inferiority complex and health hazards. Many rape victims have had their future destroyed, especially those emotionally weak or those lacking counselling.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW), Women's Aid Collective (WACOL), Legal defence and Assistance project (LEDAP), Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) are among organisations set up for women rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, has seen the video and plans to take it up today.

Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray in tears at trial

Jackson


Former patient Ruby Mosley told the court how Dr Murray had treated herself and her husband - and brought her former doctor to tears
Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray wept in court as former patients testified in his defence during his involuntary manslaughter trial.
Five patients gave testimonials about his medical skills and described him as a kind and generous physician.
Dr Murray wiped away tears after one patient insisted he was not greedy, citing the cardiology practice he opened in memory of his father in a poor community in Houston, Texas.
The doctor denies all charges.
Patient Ruby Mosley said she met Dr Murray when he opened his clinic in Acres Home.
"If this man was greedy he never would have come to the community," she said, testifying that most residents were senior citizens on fixed incomes.
'Best doctor'
Under California law, character witnesses can be offered in an effort to create reasonable doubt of guilt.
The four other witnesses - who were all heart patients - said Murray was a caring and thorough doctor.
"The reason I came here to help Dr Murray is I know his love, his compassion, his feeling for his patients, every one of them and I just don't think he did what he's accused of doing," said Gerry Causey from Utah.
Another witness, Andrew Guest of Las Vegas, testified: "I'm alive today because of that man. That man sitting there is the best doctor I've ever seen."
Under cross examination from a prosecutor, none of the patients said Dr Murray had treated them for sleep problems.
Authorities argue Dr Murray gave Jackson a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol while treating him for a sleep disorder.
The doctor's defence claim the singer gave himself the deadly dose.
Dr Murray's final witnesses, a pair of medical experts, are due on the witness stand later on Thursday.

Utah highway shut after 20m bees escape from lorry

Obama


A highway in the US state of Utah was temporarily closed after a lorry carrying at least 20 million bees overturned, freeing the insects.
The bees were being transported to California, ready to pollinate an almond crop next spring.
Interstate 15 was closed down for several hours while local beekeepers worked overnight to recapture the bees.
The trip was among the last of 160 truckloads of bees being sent south from Adee Honey Farms in South Dakota.
Authorities closed the southbound lanes of the highway, near the Arizona border, for several hours on Sunday night. The road reopened early on Monday morning, but officials have warned drivers to keep their windows closed.
"The driver lost control, hit the concrete barrier and rolled over," said Corporal Todd Johnson of the Utah Highway Patrol. "Of course, we then had bees everywhere."
'Complete loss'
Driver Louis Holst and his wife Tammie were dragged out of the overturned trailer by first responders, but were swarmed by the escaped bees on the highway.
"We just started swinging our clothes," Mr Holst told the Associated Press news agency. "They stung her all up and down her neck."
Mr Holst said he was stung about a dozen times and suffered a gash on his forehead. His wife also was both stung and bruised.
Two police officers were also stung.
Richard Adee, owner of Adee Honey Farms, said this truckload, worth approximately $116,000 (£72,500) was "pretty much a complete loss".
Local beekeepers worked overnight to capture the bees, but on Monday most of the inhabitants of the 460 hives were gone or dead.
"We tried to move them [the bees] as far out of the metropolitan area as we could," beekeeper Melvin Taylor told the Reuters news agency. "Because when those bees come alive today, they are going to be mad that their house is all [broken] apart."
Earlier this summer, an estimated 14 million bees escaped from an overturned truck on a Idaho highway.

Karen Walsh sentenced for Newry pensioner 'crucifix murder'

Walsh

The killer of an 81-year-old Newry pensioner has been told she must serve at least 20 years in prison before being considered for parole. Sentencing Karen Walsh, a 45-year-old pharmacist from Dublin, Mr Justice Hart said she had inflicted a brutal and sustained assault on a frail and vulnerable pensioner. Maire Rankin was found in her house in Newry on Christmas Day in 2008. She had been beaten with a crucifix and sexually assaulted. Mrs Rankin also suffered 15 broken ribs during the attack which took place in the pensioner's home on Dublin Road. The judge said: "She inflicted a further degradation upon Mrs Rankin by removing her clothing and then sexually molesting her in order to make it look as if an intruder had broken in and attacked Mrs Rankin after the defendant had left. "This additional degradation represents a very serious aggravating factor in an already grave case." Used crucifix in attack Walsh, who had called around to visit her 81-year-old neighbour, lashed out at her with the crucifix which had been given to Mrs Rankin as a wedding present. The judge said Walsh did not intend to kill Mrs Rankin but to cause her grievous bodily harm, however, she used the crucifix to attack Mrs Rankin, a devout Catholic, who was using a nebuliser when she was struck on the face. The judge said Walsh's account of her visit to Mrs Rankin had been 'bizarre' and one which the jury had clearly not accepted. He said she had offered no explanation and shown no remorse. Walsh, her blonde hair swept back into a ponytail and wearing a dark trouser suit, sat in the dock with her hands clasped as the judge set the minimum term of imprisonment. She left the court on Friday still protesting her innocence, but the judge said she had shown no remorse and posed a significant risk to the public. The judge said the court was told at a pre-trial review that the defendant had been examined on her own behalf by a consultant psychiatrist. He said that report was later disclosed to the court by the defence, but it had not been provided to the prosecution. The judge said the report stated that Walsh had a "brief psychotic episode in April 2008 and there were references to heavy drinking prior to that". He said Walsh had denied the offence and the psychiatrist had felt unable to reach a diagnosis with confidence because she found her to be "guarded, suspicious and defensive".

Libya: Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam in contact with ICC

son of slain ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi

International prosecutors have had "informal contact" with the son of slain ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The International Criminal Court (ICC) said intermediaries had been used in indirect talks with Saif al-Islam. Prosecutors said the court had made it clear to Gaddafi's son, who is wanted for crimes against humanity, that he was innocent until proven guilty. Saif al-Islam, who was once the presumed successor to his father, has been in hiding for months. Recent reports claimed he was in a convoy heading toward Libya's desert border with Niger, where other Gaddafi allies have fled. But those reports have not been confirmed, and the ICC said it did not know where he was. Zimbabwe-bound? ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said in a statement that the ICC wanted him to face trial. "The office of the prosecutor has made it clear that if he surrenders to the ICC, he has the right to be heard in court, he is innocent until proven guilty. Saif al-Islam: ICC charges • Indirect co-perpetrator of murder and persecution as crimes against humanity • Between 15 February and 28 February, Gaddafi security forces carried out systematic attacks against civilians • Saif al-Islam "assumed essential tasks" to make sure plan worked The ICC arrest warrant issued for Saif al-Islam in June accuses him of murder and persecution. The document claims that he played an essential part in the systematic attacks on civilians in various Libyan cities carried out by Gaddafi's security forces in February. Mr Moreno Ocampo said the ICC had learnt "through informal channels" that mercenaries were offering to move Saif al-Islam to a country that has not signed up to the ICC's statute. "The office of the prosecutor is also exploring the possibility to intercept any plane within the airspace of a state party in order to make an arrest," the statement said. Reports say Zimbabwe is a likely final destination for Saif al-Islam if he chooses to flee from the ICC. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was a long-time ally of Muammar Gaddafi. The former Libyan leader, who was deposed in August after six months of civil conflict, died from gunshot wounds last week after fierce fighting in the city of Sirte.

Sunderland's Titus Bramble charged with sexual assault

Titus Bramble

Sunderland footballer Titus Bramble has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and urinating in a public place. The 30-year-old defender, from Wynyard, Teesside, will appear at Teesside Magistrates Court on 10 November. The Premier League star was arrested on 28 September and 14 October on suspicion of carrying out separate sexual assaults. Mr Bramble's lawyer said he would "vigorously contest" the allegations. A Sunderland AFC spokesperson said: "Titus Bramble is training independently at present and is not involved in any first team duties. "This will remain the case, pending the outcome of club investigations." Mr Bramble began his footballing career at Ipswich, before making a £6m move to Newcastle United. He then joined Wigan Athletic and moved back to the North East with Sunderland last year.

Gun men invade court. Kill warder, abduct suspect

Ibrahim Idris - Kogi State governor


IT was like a scene from an action-packed movie. A judge adjourns an alleged robbery and kidnapping case, ordering the suspect to be remanded in prison custody. The court rises and a prison warder leads the accused out of the courtroom. Suddenly, gun shots ring out. There is pandemonium, with litigants and court officials running for dear lives. By the time the dust settles minutes after, the prison warder lies dead. Gone is the accused. Also gone are the gunment. It was no movie, but real on Wednesday in Kogi State where unknown gunmen suspected to be members of a robbery gang whose member was standing trial attacked the Ihima High Court. The Media Officer of the State High Court, Mr Saqeeb Saeed, in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area, confirmed yesterday that the attack took place on Wednesday. He said Justice Moses Gwatana had adjourned the case against Abdulrazak Nasiru, who was ordered to be remanded in prison custody. The accused was released to an official to take to the Okene Medium Security Prison in a Nigeria Prisons Service pick-up van. Saeed said before the van took off, the attackers, numbering between 10 and 12, apparently lurking around a primary school near the court, stormed the premises, wielding dangerous weapons and shooting indiscriminately.
“They shot dead the warder whose name was not immediately known and released the accused while the court officials, litigants and helpless security agents, scampered for safety during the operation that lasted 10 minutes,” he said. The News Agency Nigeria (NAN) learnt that although the judge escaped unhurt, his official KIA Sorento SUV was sprayed with bullets. Mr Bakare Sunday was shot in the ear. Saeed said the body of the prison official had been deposited at the Obangede General Hospital mortuary. The court registrar has been admitted in the hospital for bullet wounds. Kogi State High Court Chief Registrar Mrs Comfort Toluwashe has lodged a complaint with the police, saying the accused was initially involved in an armed robbery in which a man was kidnapped.
Culled from the Nation

Hell was let loose yesterday in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State when dare devil robbers stormed a High Court, killed a prison official and set free a robbery suspect, Abdulrazak Nasiru who was standing trial in the court. An eyewitness told Daily Sun that the gunmen had hid in a nearby primary school until the court session ended when they struck, opening fire on the vehicle conveying the accused Nasiru, believed to be a member of the gang, away from the court premises to the prison. The incident occured at about 12.30 pm when the High Court Judge, Justice Moses Gwatana had adjourned the case of kidnapping and armed robbery levelled against the suspect who was ordered to be remanded in prison custody. Immediately the accused left the courtroom to be moved to the Okene Medium Security Prison in the official Toyota pick-up van of the Nigeria Prisons Service, the gunmen surged forward and fired sporadic gunshots, killing the prison official instantly. The gunmen who were said to be numbering up to 12 also opened fire on the vehicle of the High Court judge who was said to have escaped miraculously from the scene, but his official vehicle, a KIA Sorento utility car was riddled with bullets. However, the Court Registrar, Sunday Bakare, was unlucky as a bullet was said to have hit him in the left ear. The robbers escaped with the accused person, fleeing in two vehicles. Within the 10 minutes the operation lasted, the entire court premises and environs were thrown in confusion as both litigants, lawyers, court staff and passersby scampered for safety. As at the time of filing in this report the name of the deceased prison official could not be ascertained but sources said his remains had been deposited at the Obangede General Hospital mortuary. The court registrar is in critical condition and said to be receiving treatment in a private hospital. The gang, it was gathered, might have been responsible for series of robberies and kidnapping incidents in the state. Meanwhile, the state High Court Chief Registrar, Mrs. Comfort Toluwashe had lodged a complaint with the police at the state command on the incident, just as anti-crime detectives were said to have launched a hunt for the dare-devil gang.
Culled from Sun.