An Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a barber, Waheed Bello, to 18 months imprisonment for stabbing and injuring a man on his back with a knife.

Bello of Diala St., Mile 12 market area, Lagos, pleaded guilty to the charge of assault occasioning harm with another at large and asked the court to temper justice with mercy.

Delivering her judgment, the Magistrate, Mrs. O. S. Amzat, advised the convict to turn a new leaf while in prison, after sentencing him with no option of fine.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Ihiehie Lucky told the court that the offence was committed around noon on Nov. 22 at Diala St. in Mile 12 area of Lagos.

Lucky said the complainant, a sales boy, reported the incident at the Mile 12 Police Station on Nov. 22.

“The complainant reported that on that fateful day, he was at Diala St. when the convict and his friend accosted him, forcefully, demanding for money.

“He asked them what money they were talking about and before he knew it, they held his trouser pocket trying to remove his money.

“He hit the convict’s friend who fell down and when they found out that they couldn’t withstand him, the accused snatched the knife of a roadside butcher and stabbed him on the back,” he said.

Lucky said that the complainant immediately fell down and the convict took his N9,000 from his pocket, as well as his N14,500 Samsung phone and ran away with his friend.

He said that some members of the public later helped the complainant to apprehend and arrest the convict.

The prosecutor said the offence committed contravened sections 409, 404 and 243 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.