LEGAL PRINCIPLE: EVIDENCE LAW — Weight of Evidence — Incredible Testimony to Be Rejected and Consigned to Contempt
PRINCIPLE STATEMENT
When a witness's evidence is of obvious exaggerated proportions entering the realm of fantasy or affront to intelligence or reckless, it should be ignored, consigned to garbage, treated with contempt and rejected entirely. Such evidence is manifestly hostile to reason and intelligence as to be nigh impossible to believe.
RATIO DECIDENDI (SOURCE)
Per Pats-Acholonu, JSC, in Aiguokhian v. State (2004) NLC-282003(SC) at p. 6; Paras A–B.
"I have said it before and I will say it again that when the statement or evidence of a witness is of such obvious exaggerated proportions that it enters into the realm of either fantasy or is an affront to intelligence or is reckless in its utterance, it should be ignored and consigned to a garbage and treated with utmost contempt, disdain and of course rejected in its entirety. Such evidence would be shown to be so manifestly hostile to reason and intelligence as to be nigh impossible that it should be believed by the court."
EXPLANATION / SCOPE
Exaggerated, fantastic, reckless, or intelligence-affronting evidence must be rejected entirely. Such evidence is treated with contempt and consigned as garbage. The principle applies to weight of evidence in all proceedings. The court will not believe manifestly unreasonable testimony. The rule protects judicial integrity from absurd claims. Incredible evidence deserves no consideration.
