Woman pours hot water on 12-year-old housemaid

Sunday

The police have arraigned one Mrs. Bethelyn Falade for allegedly torturing her housemaid with hot water.

The 27-year-old woman was said to have poured the hot water on the girl, Chinecherem Sunday, as punishment for her stubbornness.

The police said the hot water inflicted wounds on her chest in the process.

It was gathered that Falade’s act was triggered by her missing laptop which the housemaid said was taken by her brother-in-law, identified simply as Lekan, while she was not around.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the woman faulted Sunday’s explanation, saying that the housemaid ought to have notified her before she inquired of the laptop.

Police said the Abia State-born Falade, in a burst of anger, grabbed a kettle on the gas cooker and poured it on the girl.

It was said that Falade’s neighbours on Church Street, Powerline, in the Ijaiye-Ojokoro area of Lagos, alerted a human rights group to the incident, having sighted the victim’s burnt chest. The group, it was learnt, reported the case to the police who eventually arrested Falade.

Falade appeared before a Magistrate’s Court sitting at Ojokoro in the Ifako-IJaiye area of the state on two counts of maltreatment and assault.

The prosecutor, Lugard Ahonle, said the charges, to which the accused pleaded not guilty, were contrary to and punishable under sections 135 and 171 Vol.44 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

The counts read, “That you, Bethelyn Falade, of Church Street, off Cole Street, Powerline, Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Lagos, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did unlawfully and indecently maltreat one Chinecherem Sunday, 12 years, by pouring hot water on her body on August 31, 2014 at about 11pm.

“That you, of the above address, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did unlawfully assault one Chinecherem Sunday by constantly beating her up.”

After the defence counsel pleaded with the court that his client be granted bail in liberal terms, the magistrate, Mrs. T. Akani, admitted him to bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties in the like sum.

Akani added that “The sureties must be gainfully employed, present three years of tax payment and their residential addresses must be verified by the prosecutor.”

The matter was adjourned till November 17, 2014 for mention.

PUNCH