A Lagos Domestic and Sexual Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, has sentenced an Okada rider, Wale Isaiah to life imprisonment for defiling a 10-year-old girl.
Trial judge, Abiola Soladoye convicted Isaiah, after he was found guilty of the charge brought against him by the state government.
In his verdict, the judge said the prosecution proved the essential ingredients of defilement beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Soladoye said the victim was consistent in her oral testimony, which was corroborated by other evidence before the court and found the defendant guilty as charged.
“ The corroborative evidence showed there was penetration of the hymen, excessive laceration, perennial tear of the vagina, and that the injury to the vagina is such as seen in sexual assault.
“The defendant is a sexual lunatic, who took advantage of the poor victim who was on errand to supply sugar to her mother’s customer.
“The defendant is also a sexual lunatic, who defiled her mercilessly. The defendant is hereby convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment,” the court ruled.
The judge also ordered that the convict’s nameto be entered into the register of sexual offenders in Lagos State.
She reminded parents and guardians that school age children should not be found on the streets as doing so violates the Child Rights Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The prosecution led by Mr. Olusola Soneye and Mrs. Olufunke Adegoke had told court that the convict committed the offence on April 25, 2018 at Magboro along Badagry Expressway, Lagos.
During the trial, the five witnesses who testified include; the survivor, her father and a medical doctor, while Wale and his father gave evidence in his defence.
The survivor in her testimony, said the defendant sexually assaulted her when she was on errand to sell sugar for her mother.
Narrating her ordeal, the survivor said the convict called him in pretence that he wanted to buy sugar and gave her N1,000, but closed her mouth with a handkerchief, hit and dragged her into an uncompleted building.
According to her, the convict used a wrapper to tie her leg and had unlawful sexual intercourse with her.
The survivor said when she saw blood, the convict told her to wait for him to get sachet water, but he ran away only to be identified later by the girl and was subsequently taken to a community ruler’s presence, who in turn reported to Magboro police station.
