Ram sentenced to three years in prison for murder

A ram in Rumbek, South Sudan has been sentenced to three years in prison - for the murder of a woman.

According to reporting fromEye Radio, the male sheep head-butted a woman, identified as 45-year-old Adhieu Chaping, several times before fatally injuring her.

“The ram attacked by hitting her ribs and the old woman died immediately," Major Elijah Mabor told Eye Radio.

According to the laws of the Lakes State, a state in South Sudan, any domestic animal that has killed a person is given as compensation to the deceased's family.

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Police told Eye Radio that the ram was apprehended and placed under custody upon realizing the attack.

"The owner is innocent and the ram is the one who perpetrated the crime so it deserves to be arrested then later on the case shall be forwarded to customary court where the case can be handled (sic) amicably," Major Mabor explained.

A photo of the ram in question can be seen here.

The ram was then asked to appear before a customary court once the investigation was completed and was found guilty. The sheep will spend the next three years at Aduel County headquarters in Sudan Lakes State.

Once the ram is released it will be given to Chaping's family as compensation, additionally, the court asked that the owner of the sheep give five cows to the deceased's family.

The family of the deceased is related to and neighbors with the family of the ram owners. The two families agreed on the compensation stipulations in the presence of community leaders and police according to Ghana Wish.

This was done to avoid any further disagreement between the two.

Rams are known to be aggressive creatures. With horns that can be upward of 30 pounds, they can head butt nearly 800 pounds of force into something or someone.

In 2016, New Zealand police were on the hunt for an aggressive sheep who assaulted a police officer.

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