Barrister Nnaemeka Okeke, Lawyer Representing The Family That Assaulted The 11 Year Old Boy Has This To Say As The Update From Court

Today in Court: A Brief Update about the case of a viral video of a woman who was arrested and accused of inflicting grievous injuries upon her apprentice, an 11yr old boy.

Earlier today, I had the privilege of representing the husband of the woman accused of inflicting grievous injuries upon her apprentice. He was charged alongside with his wife as the 2nd Defendant.
Upon perusing Form 12—the document initiating remand proceedings—I was struck with a measure of bewilderment to find that one of the charges preferred against the defendants was attempted murder.

Having examined the preliminary facts disclosed, it is my considered view that the conduct described aligns more aptly with the offence of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm than with attempted murder. It appears, regrettably, to be yet another illustration of the police engaging in persecution rather than a dispassionate prosecution grounded in the evidence.

To my mind, this matter bears the hallmarks of what is colloquially termed a harsh admonition of an obstinate child—an embodiment of the adage, “spare the rod and spoil the child.” Criminal responsibility, as we know, is predicated on two indispensable elements: actus reus, the guilty act, and mens rea, the guilty mind. The critical inquiries here are whether there existed a deliberate act that occasioned harm, and more importantly, whether there was the specific intent to cause death. Based on the materials presently before the court, I discern no substantiation of an intent to kill.

Many of us who were raised in earlier generations can attest to having endured stringent forms of correction within the domestic sphere. Nonetheless, the advent of social media has a propensity to seize such occurrences, amplify them out of context, and transform them into public spectacles that often obscure the nuances of the facts.

At the conclusion of the proceedings, the learned magistrate ordered the remand of both defendants in custodial custody pending further investigation and DPP’s advice. I shall continue with the work of the lord to procure justice and shall apprise you my friends and the public of any material developments as they unfold.