An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo and presided over by Justice Bassey Nkanang has sentenced Apostle Williams Okon Bassey to 49 years’ imprisonment for impregnating his 16-year-old daughter.

It was gathered that Bassey, who lived with his daughter at his pastoral duty post in the Ikono Local Government Area of the state, committed the crime at different times and sent the daughter to his wife, who lives outside the church premises in the Eket Local Government Area.

According to the judge, investigations revealed that each time the convict impregnated his daughter, he would send the girl to her mother and inform her that the daughter was pregnant before the mother terminated the pregnancy and sent the girl back to her father at his station.

Nkanang said that during the third instance, the mother raised the alarm, interrogating the daughter to find out who was responsible for the pregnancy, and she named her father.

Bassey, while admitting to the crime, told the court how he lured the girl into having intercourse, which resulted in the pregnancy.

“I called my daughter to come and scratch my back; as she was scratching my back, I felt like sleeping, my daughter climbed on top of me, and I fucked her.

“That was my first time sleeping with my daughter, and she was about 16 years old then.

“I took her to the mother’s place in Eket; after telling her that our daughter was pregnant, I handed her over to the mother, who promised to get rid of the pregnancy. After the pregnancy was terminated, I continued having sex with her each time I had a misunderstanding with my wife.

“She became pregnant the second time. I still returned her to the mother, who still took her to abort the pregnancy.

“When she returned the second time, I continued the act of sexing her, which resulted in the third pregnancy, and the mother still took her for an abortion,” the convicted man of God confessed.

Delivering judgment, Justice Nkanang sentenced the pastor to 49 years’ imprisonment.

“In consideration of the above analysis, therefore, the sole issue for determination in this case is hereby resolved in favour of the prosecution, and it is the holding of this court that the allegations of rape and incest have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt and the defendant is accordingly convicted in respect of the charges of rape and incest.

“The clear consequence of this, therefore, is that the defendant, APOSTLE WILLIAM OKON BASSEY, is hereby found guilty of the offences of rape and incest, contrary to and punishable respectively under Section 367 and 242 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 38, Volume 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, 2000, and is accordingly convicted.” (The Sun News)

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