A 55-year-old clergyman who defiled and impregnated a 15-year-old girl in the Ndele community in the state’s Emuoha Local Government Area as been handed a seven-year prison sentence with hard labor by the Rivers State Family Court.
In his decision on Wednesday, the presiding Chief Magistrate, Ogeh Elkanah, decided that Pastor Erekwa would reimburse the family of the molested adolescent girl for the medical expenses incurred during her pregnancy with N500,000.
The clergyman would settle his debts after serving his sentence in prison, according to Chief Magistrate Elkanah.
Recall that when the charge was read, Erekwa, the senior pastor of the Glorious Covenant Church in Ndele, pled guilty to one count of sexual abuse.
The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the Police Command filed the accusation against him.
The girl’s family, who had approached the cleric about the situation, reportedly opposed to his suggestion that the pregnancy be terminated.
The Chief Magistrate promptly excused newsmen from the courtroom once he called for the matter, preventing them from covering the court proceedings.
The Chief Magistrate clarified that because the Family Court is not like a regular court, reporters must first obtain permission from the court before covering a case there.