Lawyer reveals what he did after finding out client defiled a child despite swearing innocence
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Lawyer Francis Paul Chukwuma shared the story in a Facebook post.
He said he withdrew from defending a client accused of child defilement after conducting his own investigation.
According to him, the client later admitted to the offence after initially insisting he was innocent.
Chukwuma said he does not defend rape or sexual offence cases if he believes the accused committed the crime.
Lawyer Francis Paul Chukwuma has recounted why he once withdrew from representing a client accused of defiling a child, saying he made the decision after his own investigation convinced him that the man had not been truthful about his claim of innocence.
Chukwuma shared the experience in a post on his Facebook page, explaining that the incident shaped his personal approach to handling rape and sexual offence cases.
According to the lawyer, the young man approached him insisting that he had been falsely accused of defiling a child.
He said the client repeatedly swore he was innocent and claimed he had been wrongly accused.
"I once erroneously agreed to defend a young man accused of defiling a child. He swore by everything that he didn't do it and that he was wrongly accused," Chukwuma wrote.
Although he said parts of the man's account "didn't really add up," Chukwuma explained that his professional instincts led him to accept the brief on the condition that he would first carry out his own investigation.
He said that after conducting his investigation and listening to the testimony of the child's mother, he became convinced that the allegation against his client was true.
According to Chukwuma, he confronted the client, who allegedly admitted to the offence after initially maintaining his innocence.
"He fell on his knees and admitted that he actually did it and it was the work of the devil," the lawyer claimed.
Chukwuma said he was deeply troubled by the admission and decided he could no longer continue representing the defendant.
He said that on the next adjourned date, he informed the trial judge that he was withdrawing his appearance from the case.
According to him, the client pleaded with him to reconsider, while the man's sister and brother also appealed to him to remain on the case.
Chukwuma further alleged that the client's brother, whom he identified as a lieutenant colonel in the Nigerian Navy, called and threatened him over his decision.
The lawyer said he remained firm, giving the family an ultimatum to collect their case file or risk having it destroyed.
He also claimed that when the family demanded a refund of the legal fees they had paid, he refused and told them they were free to take legal action against him.
Explaining his position, Chukwuma acknowledged the legal principle that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty and is entitled to legal representation.
However, he said he personally draws the line at representing people accused of rape or child defilement if he becomes convinced they committed the offence.
"In as much as all accused persons are innocent until proven guilty, there are offences that I cannot in my good conscience knowingly defend just because everyone is entitled to a lawyer. Rape and defilement is one of them. If I confirm that you actually did it, no matter the amount you offer me, I'll not do that case," he wrote.
The lawyer added that although he has represented people accused of murder and other crimes, he cannot bring himself to defend clients whom he believes committed sexual offences.
He also expressed disappointment over seeing a female colleague represent a married man accused of defiling a child, saying the experience reinforced his personal convictions.
Chukwuma did not disclose the identity of the accused, the alleged victim or when the case occurred. His account has not been independently verified, and he did not provide court documents or other evidence relating to the matter.
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