A Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has sentenced a mechanic identified as Anayor Ugo to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine for defiling and impregnating a 12-year-old girl.

Punch reports that the convict who is a generator mechanic had in 2021 visited the home of the underage girl in Oyigbo, Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state to carry out repairs on their power generator at the instance of the victim’s father.

However, he ended up defiling the underage girl, an action which also put her in the family way. He then threatened to kill the girl if she told anyone about the incident and reportedly fled.

However months later, when the girl’s mother started noticing changes in her daughter, she confronted her and the girl opened up. The matter was reported to the police who began hunting for the suspect.

Although Ugo had during the trial admitted having carnal knowledge of the girl, he denied ejaculating, saying it was the latter that held him when he went to repair their generator and dragged him inside her room before he had carnal knowledge of her.

The trial Chief Magistrate, Rita Ogugua, in her judgment, said the prosecution was able to prove their case of defilement and having carnal knowledge of the underage girl through evidence and admission by Ugo, who is in his early 50s.

Ogugua thereafter convicted and sentenced Ugo to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.

She said her ruling followed Ugo’s plea for mercy after being convicted before the sentence.