Court sentences Babu Emmanuel to death by hanging for the Rock City murder
A court in Juba today found Babu Emmanuel Lokiri, guilty of brutally killing three children in Juba’s Rock City residential area on August 1st and sentenced him to death by hanging.
The three children aged 9, 7 and 4 were found dead in their house with their throats slit, according to neighbours and police. The presiding judge has given the convict 14 days to appeal the sentence.
Juba High Court Judge, Duoth Kulang spent at least one and a half hours of today’s court session delivering a guilty verdict for the accused.
“The court has found that, the accused person is guilty of the charges of murder under section 206 of the Penal Code Act 2008 has filed the death sentence against against the convicted, Babu Emmanuel Lokiri as follows; one, the convict Babu Emmanuel Lokiri to be hanged by the neck until his death, two the case shall be taken to the Supreme Court for confirmation after 15 days of appeal, three, the knife should be destroyed in the criminal case by the court police.” Judge Kulang read Babu’s sentence.
The courtroom was fully packed with hundreds of people. More people stood outside the courtroom where loudspeakers were mounted to enable people to follow the proceedings. After a short break, Judge Kulang resumed the session by asking the parents of the deceased children; Edward Andrew Loboka and Gilda Gideon Juma, prior to the ruling, how they wanted the court to punish the convict. Both parents said they want him executed.
The children’s paternal grandfather, Wilson Sokiri Lokiden says the family of the siblings are happy with the sentence.
“The ruling today will relieve the people of South Sudan because this is a public concern.”
“And I believe that this thing will happen. It will take place. The whole world is monitoring to see what the final judgement will be, and I appreciate that this judgement is done accordingly.” Lokiden said.
He said he knows that human rights activists will react to the death sentence, but justice must prevail for the three little children.
Lokiden says whoever has committed a crime should be punished. “Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Tit for tat. If you kill, you are also killed.” Lokiden added.
But defense attorney Simon Okeny Satiro says they are going to appeal as soon as possible because the court took a rushed decision to convict and sentence Babu Emmanuel Lokiri.
“we are shocked by the court’s decision, and the time given for this case to be ready is very short. I don’t know why the court rushed to that extent and came up with a decision in a short time.” Satiro told journalists in Juba.
“Most of the results the court concluded on, based on assumptions. there’s nothing concrete,” the defense attorney added.
Satiro says a good example is when the court cited previous crimes allegedly committed by the accused and yet he was not tried and convicted of such crimes.
Advocate Satiro says the court should have used only cases in which the accused was tried and convicted previously to convict Lokiri in this particular case. He says the defense will appeal against the verdict and sentence in the Supreme Court of South Sudan.
“We have filed our evidence before the court and I think the court neglected our evidence, we don’t know the reasons behind it. But we will still insist on the evidence we have at hand so that the Supreme Court will look into it. We are convinced that he’s innocent until proven still because this court is not the final court to hang people.”
The sentence has enlisted mixed reactions from Juba residents. While some welcome the death sentence, others say killing Babu Emmanuel Lokiri will not bring back the three dead children; Lydia Edward,9, Blessings Edward, 7, and their 4-year-old sister Nura Edward.
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