A 37-year-old man, Jonah Francis, appeared before the Kaduna Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting and damaging his friend’s car.

Mr Francis, a resident of Narayi in Kaduna, is standing trial on a two-count charge of assault and wilful damage to property.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecutor, Chidi Leo, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on April 11, at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna.

He alleged that the defendant, a friend of the complainant, Jacob Musa, had assaulted him and damaged his car following a misunderstanding.

According to him, the defendant maliciously damaged the windscreen, bonnet, light and both side mirrors of a BMW car belonging to the complainant.

He added that the defendant beat up the complainant and tore his shirt worth N18,000, and also destroyed his phone worth N360,000.

Section 203 provides for a penalty of four years’ imprisonment for assault, while Section 211 prescribes a penalty of three years’ imprisonment for wilful damage to property.

The magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He directed that both sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment to the Kaduna government.

The court adjourned the case until May 6 for a hearing.

(NAN)