The first prosecution witness in the case of alleged child stealing was again cross-examined by defence counsels in court on Wednesday.
The first prosecution witness, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, was first cross-examined by the counsel to second and third defendants and by counsel to the first defendant.
In cross-examination, P.A. Anele asked the prosecution witness if a lawyer was present when he took statement from the second and third defendants but the witness said that there was no lawyer when he took statement from second and third defendants.
He also admitted that he had helped the third defendant to write his statement but when he was questioned why he did not allow the defendant write his statement even though he was literate the prosecution witness said that he wrote the defendant’s statement on dictation.
The counsel to the first defendant, A.C. Kanu, also cross-examined the first prosecution witness in which he asked him to tell the court his rank in the Nigeria Police Force.
At the hearing the witness said that he was the one who arrested the first defendant and when asked by the counsel what was recovered from him at the point of arrest, the police witness said that a phone was recovered from him which was kept in their custody.
There was no re-examination by the prosecuting counsel at the end of the cross-examination.
The defendants face three counts before Port-Harcourt High Court presided by Honourable Justice S.H Aprioku.
The first defendant Promise Thompson and second and third defendants Queen Lucky and Lucky Wokoma were in court at the hearing on Wednesday.
Another suspect who was granted administrative bail is at large.
The defendants face three counts of kidnapping, armed robbery and child stealing in the case prosecuted by Rivers State government.
The crime of kidnapping is contrary to Section 1 (2)(b) of the Rivers State Kidnapping (Prohibition) Amendment Law, No. 5 of 2018 and was allegedly committed by first defendant when he allegedly armed himself with a gun and other dangerous weapons and kidnapped with the help of others now at large a six-year-old boy on Trans-Kalabari Road, Iwofe on October 25, 2018 and demanded ransom.
On the count of child stealing, second and third defendants and the other suspect now at large face the charge of fraudulently taking away the six-year-old child and unlawfully harbouring him. The child was taken to Aba in Abia State and was sold to a Catholic nun but was later found in a motherless babies home run by a Catholic nun.
The case comes up on 24 and 25 March for continuation of hearing.
