PHOTO: Convict Edwin Knight Adibayo
By Henry N. Kolenky, Phone: +231776297263/+231880767601
The 4tth Judicial Circuit Court in Liberia’s southeastern Maryland County has sentenced a 34-year-old man, Edwin Knight Adibayo to prison for three years, after being convicted by the grand Jury for sodomizing a 12-year-old boy.
Adibayo got his sentence on Friday July 1, 2022. The duration of his sentence includes the length of time he has spent behind bar at the River Gee Central Prison, where convicts in Maryland County are being sent, ever since the Harper Central Prison was damaged by rioters last year over the killing of a student and commercial motorcyclist.
On September 25, 2022, relatives of a 12-year old boy a resident of Easy Town Community, in Harper City Maryland County, on September 25, 2021, reported to the Women and Children Protection of the Liberia national police that the minor was allegedly sodomized by Adibayo, age 34 in his shop at Airfield junction in Harper city.
Upon receiving the information, the victim was sent to the James Jenkins Dossen Memorial Hospital for medical examination while the defendant was undergoing investigation. The medical report proved that the victim was allegedly sodomized, at the same time the perpetrator was investigated and charged with “Aggravated Involuntary Sodomy” and forwarded to court on September 28, 2021, a felony of the Second Degree under the penal code of Liberia. The case was called on Monday June 13, 2022, and following the reading of the indictment the defendant entered a plea of guilty to the indictment in open court.
According to the court’s final judgement the grand Jury for Maryland county sitting in its November term of court in 2021, indicted the defendant for the alleged commission of the crime of aggravated involuntary sodomy. The defendant was legally represented by public defender Adolphus Taylor while the state was represented by prosecuting attorney Philip G. Whiegar County Attorney of Maryland.
The final guilty verdict read in open court on Friday July 1, 2022, by his Honor Nelson T. Tokpa Assigned Circuit Judge of the fourth judicial circuit court in Harper city noted that there was a plea of guilty by defendant in open court. The voluntarily plea by the defendant without any form of duress in which is disclosed that he is guilty of the crime charged in the indictment needs no further evidence to be produced by the state, the Judge said.
The final judgement further explained that Chapter 25, Section 25.8 of the Civil Procedural Law. “Admissibility in general: All admissions by a party himself or his agent acting within the scope of his authority are admissible. Every agent for a conduct of a cause shall have authority to make admission to that cause. The admission of every other agent in any matter under his control as agent shall be admissible”.
Wherefore and in view of the aforesaid facts and circumstances defendant having pleaded guilty to the indictment, is judged guilty and convicted of the crime Aggravated Involuntary Sodomy as charged by the state. Section 50.9 of the penal code of Liberia states: Authorized fines; restitution:
- As of individuals. Except as otherwise expressly provided, and subject to the limitation contained and individual who has been convicted of an offense may be sentenced to pay a fine which does not exceed: (a) For a felony of a first or second degree, the commission which has resulted in gain for the defendant, an amount double the gain realized by the defendant, but if such crime has not resulted in gain for the defendant, only sentence of imprisonment without a fine may be imposed.
Consistent with the above quoted provisions of the law and because the crime resulted in no gain for the defendant, the defendant is sentence to serve the period of three (3) consecutive years including the time he has spent in prison to common jail within the territory confines of the Republic of Liberia less the time the defendant was committed to prison by this court up to the date and time of court’s final judgement, said the final Judgement of the court.