Encomium
A London court has jailed a man who murdered Amina Agboola. The convict, Dean Harris was found guilty of killing Amina (2 years) by kicking her so hard that she was thrown six feet across the room and ruptured her liver.
Dean Harris, 20, was convicted of killing Amina Agboola, after becoming frustrated at her soiling herself, prosecutors were told at his trial at Cambridge Crown Court, London. The force of the blow was reported to be so severe that it tore her liver in two. Mr. Harris, who wrote a detailed confession letter released by Cambridgeshire Police, had admitted manslaughter but was convicted of the child’s murder. Amina’s mother, Sarah Racqueman, 29, who had been in a relationship with Mr. Harris for just five months, was cleared by a jury in June of causing or allowing her death.
The court heard that Harris was left alone with the toddler in November 2013, despite warnings from social workers that he was dangerous because of a history of domestic violence. Reuben Agboola, the grieving father insisted that, “I am pleased with the sentence Dean Harris has received today. However, the grief feels like it has no end. I think about Amina constantly. I still cry every day. I go through the emotions of living but inside I am somewhere else thinking about my daughter all the time. No one understands the pain except those people who are experiencing it. My heart reaches out to every parent who is suffering the loss of a child.”
Amina’s mother, Sarah Racqueman, was acquitted of causing or allowing the death but admitted two other charges of neglect relating to other children. She was given a suspended sentence earlier this month. The trial heard Amina was found to have had a number of other injuries, including an untreated broken wrist. Detective Inspector Alan Page said: “This was a horrendous case. There can be no justification for using violence against any child and Harris will have to deal with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life.
-FOLUSO SAMUEL
