Again, court adjourns trial of Danish man who killed Nigerian singer wife, daughter

The case involving 53-year-old Danish national, Peter Nielsen who allegedly killed his Nigerian wife, Zainab Ali-Nielsen, better known in music circles as Alizee, and her three-year-old daughter Petra, has again been adjourned.

Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile of the Lagos High Court sitting Wednesday in Igbosere gave the order as the suspect who is facing two counts of murder, an offence contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2015, was paraded in court.

According to Adeniji Kazeem, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos, who led the state prosecution team during court proceedings, Peter killed his 37-year-old wife, Zainab, and his three-year-old daughter, Petra, on April 5, 2018, at about 3:45 am at their Banana Island residence in the Ikoyi area of the state.

During court proceedings, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against which made the Attorney General to consequently ask the court for a trial date.

However, Mr Olasupo Shasore, counsel to the defendant and a former Attorney-General of Lagos, had no objections to the request by the Attorney General but revealed that the defence team would like to carry out a test on the suspect.

Read also: Late Alizee’s father says he doesn’t believe his daughter’s killer is in prison

Shasore said; “We are interested in taking the blood sample of the defendant; I thought it will be better to inform this court that his blood sample would be taken for DNA, analysis.”

The presiding judge then asked the defendant if he would like to give his consent for his blood sample to be taken for the DNA test.

Nielson, in his response, said, “Yes I give my consent for my blood sample to be taken for DNA”.

The counsel to the defendant further informed the court that the defence team needed the results of an autopsy report earlier conducted by the prosecution team for trial.

“We are interested in the autopsy report and the prosecution has assured us that we would get it in four weeks. We need to consult some of our experts for analysis of the test as we would need it during the trial,” he added.

After hearing out the defendant and plaintiff, Justice Okikiolu- Ighile in her ruling ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody and then adjourned the case till October 8 and 9 after the court’s vacation, for the commencement of trial.

 

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