THE Court of Appeal, Lagos has fixed February 8, 2011 to hear the main appeal filed by the embittered General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly (CPA), Lagos , Rev. Emeka Ezeugo, a.k.a. Rev King, challenging his death sentence for killing a member of his church.
In his submission, Olalekan Ojo, defence counsel to Rev. King urged the court to give a definite date for the hearing of the appeal, stressing that his client is awaiting death by hanging.
Rev. King who was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging in January 2007 by Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, for killing a member of his church, Miss Ann Uzor Ezeugo, is praying the appellate court to set aside the death sentence imposed on him by the court.
In his notice of appeal, Rev King prayed the appellate court to strike out all the six counts proffered against him at the trial high court, and to reverse his conviction, Besides, he urged the court to order his discharge and acquittal from the counts preferred against him.
His counsel, argued that the trial judge erred in law by assuming jurisdiction over the case when the six-counts charge against him was not dated, adding that the trial judge failed to consider the adduced evidence in relation to all the counts and to make a finding on whether each count had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.
He posited that based on expert opinion, it was impossible for him to pour petrol on the late Ann Uzoh King as alleged by the prosecution without getting burnt. Condemned King further stated that the trial judge erred in law when he held that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt the burning incident that occurred on the night of Saturday, July 22, 2006; and that the convict planned to kill the burnt victims, who are his church members by pouring petrol and throwing a lit match on them.