This 28-year old actor known as Bestwood Chukwuemeka, was on Monday sentenced to three-month imprisonment by a Karu Senior Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for having sexual intercourse with another man through the anus.
The convict, who resides at Gidan Mangoro, had pleaded guilty to having engaged in homosexual acts. “I am guilty of the charge against me. I was under the influence of alcohol and I want the court to temper justice with mercy’’, he said.
The police prosecutor, Mohammed Umar, had told the court that the convict committed the offence in August when the complainant was sleeping in his bed. Homosexual acts, the prosecutor said, was contrary to Section 284 of the Penal Code. The prosecutor said since Mr. Chukwuemeka had pleaded guilty to the crime he initially denied, the court should try him summarily.
The Senior Magistrate, Nafisatu Buba, sentenced him to three-month imprisonment without an option of fine.
“This would serve as warning to other youths who hide under the influence of alcohol to commit crimes,’’ she said.
When he was first arraigned in early September, Mr. Chukwuemeka pleaded not guilty, saying, “I came back drunk from the night club and thought I was sleeping on the same bed with my girl-friend and I started romancing her.”
At that hearing, Mrs Buba, had ruled that alcohol should not be seen as an excuse for committing the offence, but then granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum, with one of the sureties being a civil servant on Grade Level 09.
However, when the case was heard yesterday, Monday, the actor suddenly changed his plea to guilty, and Mrs Buba summarily tried him, sentencing him to three-month imprisonment.
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