A Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square has sentenced a Dane, Peter Nielsen, to death by hanging for killing his Nigerian wife and daughter.
Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile convicted Mr. Nielsen on two counts of murder brought against him by the Lagos State government.
As a result, he was sentenced to death by hanging on both counts.
The Lagos State government had accused Mr. Nielsen of suffocating his wife and singer, Zainab, and their three-year-old daughter, Petra to death at their home on Banana Island, Ikoyi.
He was subsequently arraigned on 13 June 2018.
He pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of murder, but in a five-hour judgment Friday, Justice Okikiolu-Ighile, held that oral and documentary evidence before the court showed that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Nielsen choked his wife and daughter.
“The DNA analysis of nail scraping brought out the assailant of Zainab.
“Zainab tried so much to defend herself. The evidence shows that Peter Nielsen killed his wife and daughter.
“There is evidence before the court that there was a fight between the defendant and his wife,” the judge held.
Nielsen had History of Abuse
Justice Okikiolu-Ighile also held that Mr. Nielsen had a history of domestic abuse.
“Peter has always domestically abused his wife which was shown in the police extract from Ikoyi Police Station.
“She didn’t know that her marriage to the defendant was void ab initio because Peter was already married in Denmark.
“You are found guilty of the murder of Zainab and Petra. I hereby pronounce that you Peter Nielsen be hanged by the neck till death. May God have mercy on you,” she ruled.
Prosecution witnesses had testified that they heard Zainab calling one of the girls who lived with the couple for help and that Mr. Nielsen kept hitting her head.
