The Dakar Court for flagrante delictos sentenced last Monday, the Nigerian Sunday J Ch, to three months in prison, including fifteen days, for intentional injury. The latter was found guilty of breaking the right arm of his wife, Kh Keïta, using a screwdriver, an attack which caused the victim to be temporarily incapacitated for work for 30 days.
A blazing conflict
Aged 26, Sunday J Ch faced his judgment with a mixture of shame and regret. Indeed, according to L’Observateur, the incident occurred after an argument linked to financial matters. The defendant’s wife allegedly asked for 500,000 FCfa, a sum that Sunday J Ch claims to have been unable to give her. This disagreement would have quickly degenerated into a physical conflict.
According to Sunday J Ch’s statements, it all started when his wife refused to give him the keys to their marital bedroom. To force entry, he decided to use a screwdriver. “That’s how I took a screwdriver to break down the door, but she surprised me with a pestle that I wanted to recover and we had a clash,” he explained on the stand.
An unacceptable act of violence
Despite her attempts to minimize her act, the judge was firm in the face of the elements presented, in particular the medical certificate attesting to the fracture of Kh Keïta’s arm, caused by a blunt object. Sunday J Ch continued to deny intentionally hurting his wife, saying: “I don’t know how she injured her right hand, but I didn’t stab her with the screwdriver. »
During the hearing, he finally apologized, aware of the consequences of his actions: “We have two children and I am ashamed right now. » However, this remorse was not enough to alleviate the seriousness of his actions.
A court decision
At the end of the debates, the prosecutor requested the application of the law for this case of domestic violence, which recalls the importance of protecting victims of such abuse. The court thus declared Sunday J Ch guilty and handed down a sentence of three months’ imprisonment, including fifteen days, recalling the need to crack down on such violence within the couple.
