The prosecution in the
ongoing rape trial of Chief Richard Kpodo, a former Security Adviser to
Ex-Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa on Thursday concluded its case a Bayelsa
High Court.
The Bayelsa state
government prosecuting team led by Andrew Arthur Esq called a total of four
witnesses who testified before the court.
The victim, a 26 year old , had earlier testified
alongside her Uncle and a medical doctor who examined her on June 9 after she
was allegedly raped the previous day.
It would be recalled
that Kpodo, was on July 31, 2018 arranged for alleged rape at State High Court
7 in Yenagoa.
Kpodo was charged on
two counts of unlawful detention and rape of the victim, a 26 year old female
cashier at the hotel run by the accused.
At the resumed trial
of the rape case, the trial judge, Justice E Eradiri listened to the testimony
of the remaining two witnesses, Mr Ebi Teike, elder brother to the victim and
Mr Benson Joseph, an Assistant Superintendent of Police who investigated the
rape complaint at the Bayelsa Police Command.
In his testimony Teike told the court that the
accused had earlier admitted committing the offence and asked for forgiveness ,
which prompted the family to withdraw the case at Ekeki Police Division.
“The accused had told
the family that he was sorry for what happened and promised to take care of the
medical bills of my sister and as Christians we are bound to forgive, and we
withdrew the matter earlier.
“The withdrawal was
done on the grounds that the acused will foot the medical bills of the victim
but he reneged and turned round to say that I want to kidnap him when I approached
him for the medical bills at his hotel.
‘It was based on his
reneging on his part that made us to push the case forward and the state
government took up the prosecution,” he said.
In his testimony to
the court, the investigating police officer, Joseph said that the accused was
known to him as he had earlier investigated a rape allegation against the accused
in 2017.
Joseph said that his
investigations involved analyzing available evidence which included statements
made by the victim, witnesses and the accused including medical reports.
The defence counsel in the rape trial Julius Iyekoroghe cross
examined the two witnesses before the prosecution closed its case.
The case was adjourned
to October 31 for defense.
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