Crime
Ex-UN official bags 15 years jail term for drugging, raping women
A former UN official, who drugged and raped unconscious women over two decades during humanitarian missions in the Middle East, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on Friday.
Karim Elkorany, 38, sexually assaulted at least 20 women most of them close friends during work trips to Iraq, Egypt and while home in the United States.
Journalists, Fulbright scholars, and UN employees Elkorany brutalised were among nine of the women who spoke at his Manhattan Federal Court sentencing.
They described being haunted by not knowing details of their assaults or what drugs Elkorany used to knock them out while noting his habitual abuse was an open secret.
A reporter, identified as Victim one, 31 years old and happily married was raped by Elkorany while on assignment in Kurdistan in November 2016.
She described the life-shattering trauma that followed as being like cancer.
She described her memories of that night as “snapshots suspended in darkness.’’
“Elkorany parks the vehicle in the garage of an apartment building, a place I never agreed to visit.
“The next memory I had was of being sexually assaulted. In the most excruciating one, I am being raped. I feel pain. I want to say no, but I can’t speak. I can’t move. I’m unable to escape.’’
Read Also: Court remands man for allegedly raping friend’s wife
Elkorany pleaded guilty in May to sexual assault charges and lying to the FBI.
Manhattan Federal Judge Naomi Buchwald imposed the stiffest sentence she could for those charges.
The jurist noted that, had he been convicted in New Jersey or Washington DC, where some of the assaults occurred, he would have gotten life in prison.
“The drugging of victims was totally reckless. Mr Elkorany made no effort to learn whether the drugs he used on his victims would cause permanent harm,’’ Buchwald said.
“I doubt that he did an analysis of the quantity versus the weight of the victim, and we know from all the letters how clearly they got more of these drugs than was necessary for his purpose, given how out of it they were for a very long period of time.’’
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Lara Pomerantz said Elkorany photographed his unconscious victims and infected some with sexually transmitted diseases because he didn’t wear condoms.
U.S. Attorney, Damian Williams described Elkorany’s crimes as “monstrous’’ and expressed gratitude to the women who came forward.
Ex-UN official bags 15 years jail term for drugging, raping women
Crime
Trader bags 9 months jail term for attempted theft
A Jos Magistrates’ Court on Monday sentenced a 20-year-old trader, Darwang Chung, to nine months in prison for attempted theft.
Chung, who resides at Gyel in Jos South, pleaded guilty to the one count charge of attempted theft.
The Magistrate, Mr Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Bokkos, in his judgement, gave the convict an option of N30,000 fine, or to risk six months in prison and a compensation of N15,000 or another 3 months in prison in default.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Labaran Ahmed, told the court that the case was reported on Oct. 6, at the”B” Division Police Station by one Yohanna Dalyop, the complainant.
Ahmed said the convict jumped over the fence into the house of the complainant and was caught.
He said that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code Law.
Crime
Special Fraud Unit arraigns suspect for cybercrime
The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Police, on Tuesday arraigned a defendant before a Federal High Court in Lagos, over alleged unlawful interception of digital infrastructure.
The defendant, Ayodeji Oyenekan, was charged before Justice A. Aluko, on a three-count charge bordering on cybercrime.
He, however. pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, Mr M. Y. Bello, told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometime in February 2022.
He, alleged that the defendant intentionally and without authorisation, intercepted digital infrastructure server hosted by Amazon Web Services, property of Meplaylist Classic Entertainment.
According to the prosecution, the defendant caused the said Meplaylist Classic Entertainment Ltd. loss of property, by altering Amazon Web services, which restricted the rightful owner access to its server.
He alleged that the defendant inputted his email address ayodeji.oye@meplaylist.com, and allegedly built a mobility startup called Hellobikee, for purposes of conferring economic benefits to himself.
The defendant was also alleged to have fraudulently made use of the electronic unique identification feature of Meplaylist, through his email, for purposes of conferring economic benefits to himself.
The offence contravenes the provisions of sections 12(1), 16(1), and 22(2)(a) of the Cybercrime ( Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015.
The court granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum.
The court held that the defendant shall remain in the correctional facility, pending perfection of all conditions of bail as spelt out by the court.
He adjourned the case until Jan. 21, 2025, for trial.
Crime
Security guard docked for allegedly stealing N10m cocoa beans
A security guard, Hamodu Shaibu, 25, on Tuesday, was brought before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing N10 million cocoa beans.
The defendant, whose address was not provided, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him.
The Prosecutor, Insp Akinwale Oriyomi, told the court that the defendant and others at large committed the offence sometime between March and Oct. 14, in Ilumoba-Ekiti.
Oriyomi alleged that Shaibu stole the cocoa beans valued at N10 million belonging to Mr Olubodun Arinde, a cocoa merchant.
The prosecutor said that the defendant, who was a security guard at the cocoa warehouse, had been tampering with the cocoa beans, until he was eventually caught.
According to him, the offence contravened Section 302(1) (a) of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
He urged the court to adjourn the case to enable him study the file and assemble his witnesses.
Defence Counsel, Mr Ademola Richard, urged the court to grant the defendant bail, with a promise that he would not jump bail.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Abayomi Adeosun, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1.5 million with two sureties in like sum.
He adjourned the case till Nov. 19 for hearing.
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