Counsel to both parties announced their respective appearances with us then informing the court that the business of the day was for the scientist from the Hospital to produce and tender the result of the paternity test.The scientist was the court’s witness, and the parties had therefore refrained from seeking to know or mingle with him.
Fortuitously,the Court Registrar informed the Judge that the witness was in court,and signalled to him from where he sat among the throng in the packed courtroom to proceed to the witness box where the oath to speak the truth was immediately administered on him.
It was the Judge herself who led the witness in evidence. But just as she was about to begin, she looked toward where Dapo sat with his daughter immediately behind the lawyers row, and noticed the young girl.
Her maternal instincts immediately kicked in. “Stand up, sweetheart”, the Judge told the girl in a sweet tone. “Why are you here again today?”, her Lordship inquired. “I think I told you last time not to come to court again until this case is over. Courtrooms are not good for small children.
You will go to my office and stay.They will even give you ice cream and minerals there.”The young girl tried to explain that her school was on its long vacation, and that her ambition in life was to be a lawyer,and that she was therefore in court to see how the lawyers did their thing. But the Judge was adamant, and at Dapo’s gentle prodding, the girl left the courtroom meekly and walked away, cutting a pitiable figure, and drawing sighs.
Her Lordship then turned her attention to the witness. She had suddenly transformed from the very gentle mother of a few minutes earlier to a stern faced arbiter, very much in control of the proceedings.
She began by asking the witness his name, address, place of work, qualification and experience. As the witness spoke, she meticulously recorded all his answers. “Your hospital was ordered by this court to obtain samples from the Plaintiff and his daughter and perform a DNA test to determine the paternity of the daughter”, her Lordship probed in grave but measured tones.”Yes, my Lord”, came the Reply.
The witness confirmed that the samples were collected as ordered and sent to their correspondent laboratory in South Africa were the test was conducted, and the sealed result sent to his hospital, and that the result was still sealed.He fetched forth the envelope from a folder,and showed the Judge.
The judge then requested the witness to un – seal the envelope and bring out the result. As he did so, the tense courtroom became deathly quiet.I took a quick look in Dapo’s direction and saw him looking scared and lost. But Jumoke, who sat further back, was expressionless. Her face only came alive when she caught me looking at her. She met my gaze with a stern grimace, batting her eyelids rapidly at me in apparent rebuke of my effrontery.
I quickly returned my attention to the proceedings. The witness then tendered the DNA result, and counsel on all sides were shown the result by the Court official, and the Judge asked whether any of the counsel had any objection to its tendering. In the absence of any objection, it was received in evidence and marked.
I looked back at Dapo again and saw him muttering a silent prayer, eyes closed, lips quivering in quiet supplication to the great maker of all things to avert his worst fears. The judge ordered that the witness be given the result once more.”From the result in your hands, whose paternity test result was this?” The witness answered that it was the little girl’s.
“Now, witness, from the result in your hand, is the Plaintiff the father of the little girl?” There was once more pin-drop silence as the witness began to answer, squelching the muted murmurs and whispers that had arisen moments earlier.
Then came the bombshell: “My Lord”, the witness began slowly. He then paused for dramatic effect, a small smile playing by the corner of his thick lips, his dark face betraying the countenance of a man who had seen so much of the follies of this world.
The judge rebuked him, and reminded him that he was there for serious business.He quickly bowed and apologized,and resumed his testimony. Looking at the result in his right hand, he read out some technical jargon, and began to interpret it, looking at the judge: “My Lord, what this means is that the Plaintiff here”, he paused and pointed at Dapo, “could not have by any chance in the world fathered this girl.”
Instant howls could be heard across the courtroom. The witness had hardly finished his last sentence when the little girl burst into the courtroom, shrieking and wailing.
She rushed straight to where a now sobbing Dapo sat, held him tight in an embrace, and started wiping her father’s tears with her http://palm. As she did so, Dapo momentarily regained composure, stared keenly at his daughter’s face, kissed her on her forehead, shrieked in agony, and resumed crying, father and daughter still locked in harrowing embrace!
“Daddy, it’s a lie”,she screamed, still crying. “Daddy,you are my father. Daddy I love you.” “I love you too, and always will”,Dapo moaned, the pain in his heart very much conveyed by eyes now reddened by anguish.
As father and daughter grieved, tears running profusely on their faces, their noses also ran. The police orderly had rushed to restrain the young girl when she first burst into the courtroom, but the Judge had ordered him to leave the girl alone.
The poor girl had apparently not heeded the Judge’s instruction to go to her chambers for ice cream, but had lurked around the precincts of the court to espy the proceedings! Now, as father and daughter sobbed and shrieked in pitiful embrace, the stern judge melted and brought out a handkerchief and sobbed along.
The scene was so moving that everyone in the courtroom, with the exception of Jumoke, joined in sobbing, with some, especially the women, wailing! I reached for my white handkerchief, removed my glasses and began to wipe my own tears!.
“The court shall rise”, the Judge managed to announce, and immediately left the courtroom for her chambers, never to return for the day. It was the clerk of court who later returned to announce to a tumultuous courtroom that the matter had been adjourned for the day, and that counsel in the matter should approach the clerical desk for dates !
Read also:
“My Saddest Day in Court – Kenneth Ikonne, SAN & Chijioke
Saddest Day in Court