A Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court presided over by Justice Rahman Oshodi has sentenced David Charles to eight years in prison for assaulting and indecently treating a 10-year-old girl.
Charles, initially charged with defilement and indecent treatment in 2018, pleaded not guilty.
However, after the trial began and witnesses were called, he opted for a plea bargain and was re-arraigned on amended charges.
This time, he pleaded guilty to indecent treatment and assault.
The prosecution detailed how Charles, in April 2017, inappropriately touched a 10-year-old girl and exposed her to pornography.
These actions violated sections 135, 170 and 172 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
Justice Oshodi, after considering the facts, the plea bargain agreement, and the law, sentenced Charles to seven years for indecent treatment and one year for assault, to run consecutively.
The sentence will be backdated to October 10, 2017, when Charles was initially remanded in custody.
Also, a 35-year-old woman, Rukayya Dantata, was arraigned before a Lagos Special Offences Court for allegedly defrauding a Bureau de Change consulting firm of N350.9 million.
The prosecuting counsel, Ezekiel Rimamsomte, told the court that Dantata committed the alleged offences between July and August 2022, deceiving her victims under the pretence of conducting legitimate business transactions.
Dantata was charged with two counts of cheating and obtaining money under false pretences.
She pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Her counsel, David Igbodo, applied for bail, which the prosecutor did not oppose.
Justice Rahman Oshodi granted Dantata bail of N30 million with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties must provide an affidavit of means and evidence of three years’ tax payments to the Lagos State Government.
Dantata was also required to deposit her international passport and other travel documents to the court’s Chief Registrar.
The case was adjourned to December 3 for trial.
