PHOTO: Defendant Joe M. Winnie
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
The third Judicial Circuit Court in Greenville, Sinoe County then presided over by assigned judge, George W. Smith has handed down five years suspended sentenced for defendant Joe M. Winnie who last year inflicted serious injury on his girlfriend’s private part by sealing it with superglue because she denied him sex.
In early October 2021, the Liberia National Police arrested 22-year-old Winnie in Liberia’s southeastern Sinoe County for allegedly carrying out the Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) assault.
Super glue is defined as a type of fast-bonding, high-strength, instant adhesive engineered to bond almost any material. Super glues are valued for their resistance to temperature and moisture and are commonly used with stone, metal, wood, plastic, glass ceramic, paper and most other common substances.
In Liberia, SGBV is on the increase, with several incidents being reported across the country on a daily basis.
According to Judge Smith, the suspended sentence means that the convict caters for his pregnant girlfriend and the unborn child.
The court said failure on his part, convict Winnie will serve the five years in jail. This was because, he pleaded guilty.
The sentence was suspended because the girl herself broke down in tears in open court, pleading for the defendant who she claimed is her husband.
In fact, the survival of the girl and her unborn child took precedent over the man being in jail, due to lack of support and her recalcitrance, Sinoe County Attorney, Daniel T. Dweh told www.newspublictrust.com.
According to Attorney Dweh, his understanding is that both of them have moved to Nimba. The drama that ensued in that case was shameful as it cast a doubt on whether restorative justice is better over retributive justice in the case of victim like her Sad and I still pity her condition.
When the case was called for hearing in early March this year, the convict’s girlfriend refused to appear in court to testify against her boyfriend on grounds that if the man is sentenced, who will support she and her unborn child? During the hearing of the case during the February A. D 2022 term of court she was subpoenaed by court to appear at which she was forced to appear.