imprisonment for
defiling a 12-year-old
girl
An Ikeja, Lagos State Sexual Offences & Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a man identified as Tayo Akinboyewa to life imprisonment for defiling a twelve-year-old girl.
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday.
DSVA said Akinboyewa’s name will be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register as maintained by Lagos state.
The 26-year-old carpenter allegedly had unlawful sexual intercourse with his neighbour who is a primary school pupil.
DSVA added that Justice Rahman Oshodi held that the prosecution proved the charge of defilement against Akinboyewa.
“Oshodi said he was satisfied that the prosecutrix (survivor)’s testimony that the defendant had unlawful sexual intercourse with her was corroborated by the medical report (exhibit h-h2),” DSVA said.
“According to him, there was abundant evidence that the defendant had sexual intercourse with the prosecutrix, who, to his knowledge, was a child and the prosecutrix gave a direct eyewitness account.”
The judge said the evidence and testimony of the prosecutrix’s mother and the Investigative Police Officer linked the defendant to the crime.
Oshodi, thereafter, rejected the evidence of the defendant and used his confessional statement.
DSVA said the prosecutor in her evidence said the defendant, whom both stayed on the same street in Oshodi, came to her house to borrow fetcher to draw water in her house.
Akinboyewa in the process used the rope of the fetcher to draw her closer and forcefully had sex with her in the backyard.
The judge further said that the defendant’s confessional statement satisfied all the legal requirements of a confessional statement.
He described the statement as a direct, positive and unequivocal narration of the events that took place straight from the horse’s mouth.
He, however, said that it would not be in the society’s interest to allow a man who had confessed to his crime to walk out of the court as a free man simply because he had a change of mind.
“I am satisfied that the prosecution has established defilement beyond reasonable doubt and I resolved the issue for determination in favour of the prosecution and against the defendant,” Justice Oshodi said.
“Therefore, considering all the evidence presented in the case, I hereby find the defendant guilty and convict him under section 137 of the Crime Law (supra).
“Therefore, I sentence you to life imprisonment, you will be registered as a sex offender and while in incarceration, I urge you to reflect deeply on your actions and strive for redemption.”
