Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, Ikeja, yesterday, sentenced a dredger, Taiye Agboola, to life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s 10-year-old daughter.
The judge convicted and sentenced Agboola to life imprisonment after founding him guilty as charged by the Lagos State government.
In his judgment, Justice Oshodi upheld the convict’s admittance, the medical report, the testimony of the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) and the testimony of the survivor’s mother.
According to the judge, their testimonies were consistent and collaborated with the evidence of the survivor that the convict penetrated her vagina with his finger.
The doctor had during trial told the court that when he met the survivor, she said Agboola dragged her into his brother’s room, removed her pants and fingered her.
“The report of Marabel Centre findings was that the hymen of the victim was reddened, there was laceration and the injury around the vagina area was reddish. This was the genital examination findings,” the court said.
The judge also held the testimony of the convict (Agboola) when he said, “On August 30, 2015, I was sleeping in my elder (Tope Agboola) brother’s room, when the survivor came. I pulled her, robbed her body and I dipped one of my right fingers in her private part.”
According to the judge, the confession was in line with the investigating police officer’s evidence, who said the convict confessed and admitted to having penetrated the victim’s vagina with his finger.
“There cannot be a better eye witness than the account of Agboola, the convict’s confession, the IPO, and the medical report which corroborates the victim’s evidence. I accept the confession of Agboola that he put his finger in the victim’s vagina and robbed her body,” the judge declared.
The judge also held that the prosecution proved the burden of defilement of a child by penetration and proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Oshodi therefore said: “Mr Taiye Agboola that you an adult sexually penetrated a 10-year-old girl by fingering her vagina in her parents’ house, which is supposed to be a safe place. The physical, psychological harm and trauma you have caused the victim, will affect the growth of the victim.
“You are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment for sexual penetration of a child and your name shall be written in the register of the Lagos State sexual offenders’ register.”
The state had arraigned the convict on a one-count charge of defilement of a child preferred against him.
The state had alleged that the incident happened on August 30, 2015, at No 7, Ijaiye Ojokoro, at about 3:00p.m.
