A lawyer has shared the action he took after discovering that the client he was defending in court was indeed guilty of child defil£ment.
Francis Paul Chukuwuma says that, according to the law, everyone is innocent until proven guilty and every accused person reserves a right to counsel. However, he said that while he can defend several crimes, r@pe is one he can’t defend.
He added that when he discovered his client was indeed guilty of r@pe, he withdrew from the case.
He wrote: “I once erroneously agreed to defend a young man accused of d£filing a child. He swore by everything that he didn’t do it and that he was wrongly accused. His story didn’t really add but my professional instinct kicked in.
“I agreed to defend him but not after conducting my own investigation. After my investigation and after the child’s mum testified, I became convinced that the young man actually committed the evil act.
“I confronted him immediately and that was when he fell on his knees and admitted that he actually did it and it was the work of the devil. I was pained. On the next adjourned date, I announced to the judge that I’m withdrawing my appearance from representing him. He begged and begged. His sister begged and begged.
“His brother that is a lieutenant colonel in the Navy called and threatened and I gave them an ultimatum to come pick their case file or I burn it. They asked for a refund of the meagre sum they paid and I told them to sue me. The navy man huffed and puffed and when he saw I wasn’t moved, he finally asked me to deliver their case file.
“In as much as all accused persons are innocent until proven guilty, there are offenses that I cannot in my good conscience knowingly defend just because all man is entitled to a lawyer. And R@PE and D£FILEMENT is one of them. If I confirm that you actually did it, no matter the amount you offer me, I’ll not do that case. I’ve defended several accused murderers and criminals but R@PE and s£xual offenses are offenses I can’t see myself defending.
“When I saw a female colleague defending a married man that d£filed a child, my heart broke into several pieces. That’s why I maintain that if someone commits such offense against my loved one, God have mercy….”
Courts& Judiciary
