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By Ange Ngu Thomas
BBC, Douala |
A nurse in Cameroon has been sentenced to death by a firing squad
for deliberately injecting two of her lover's children with HIV and
Hepatitis B contaminated blood.
The High Court in Nkongsamba convicted Yango Huguette Laure of
attempted murder.
The judgement in the high profile trial has been welcomed by most
Cameroonians.
The judge concluded that by injecting the two children, 11 and 15-years
old, with the contaminated blood, Laure wanted revenge on their father,
who she claimed broke a promise to marry her.
Recounting her story to the court the nurse said she went to the school
compound where the children were in classes and deceived both the school
authorities that she had instructions from their father to inject them
against Tuberculosis and Tetanus.
The court was told that she then led the children to a quiet corner of
the school, where she injected them with the contaminated blood.
Tests
During the first hearing of the case, the judge requested a medical
test to be conducted on the defendant, youngsters and their father.
The results of the test showed that the nurse and the children were all
HIV positive, but their father, was HIV negative.
The father of the children admitted in court that the lady had been his
girlfriend, but that they had separated two years ago.
It took the High Court in Nkongsamba 18 months to assemble all the
evidence.
