Justice was served in the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court as construction worker Taiye Agboola was handed a life sentence on Monday, for defiling his neighbor’s 10-year-old daughter
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Justice Rahman Oshodi held that the convict’s admittance, the medical report, the testimony of the investigating police officer and the testimony of the victim’s mother were consistent.
Oshodi said the medical examiner had in her evidence told the court that the victim informed her that the convict penetrated her vagina with his finger.
He said the preceding were in line with the investigating police officer’s evidence, who said the convict had confessed and admitted to having penetrated the survivor’s vagina with his finger.
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Oshodi noted there could not be a better eyewitness than the account of Agboola, the convict’s confession, the IPO and the medical report that corroborated the survivor’s evidence.
The judge said: “I accept the confession of Agboola that he put his finger in the survivor’s vagina and caressed her body.
“The prosecution has been able to prove the burden of defilement of a child by penetration against the defendant, beyond reasonable doubt.
“Mr Taiye Agboola, you are hereby convicted of the defilement of a child.
“The defendant, 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.”
Oshodi further held that the physical, psychological harm and trauma the convict had caused the survivor would affect her growth.
“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.
“He should be returned to the Ikoyi Custodial Centre where he is currently being held,” he said.
Earlier, the defence counsel, in his allocutus, had prayed the court to give the convict a second chance as he was a first-time offender without any criminal records.
But the prosecution counsel urged the court to sentence Agboola according to the charge and asked the court to enter his name into the register for sexual offenders of Lagos State.
The convict was arraigned on a count of defilement of a child preferred against him by the Lagos State Government.
The prosecution told the court that the convict committed the offence on August 30, 2015 in Ijaiye Ojokoro, Lagos.
He had pleaded not guilty and trial commenced, with the prosecution calling four witnesses who testified against the convict.
The defence called two witnesses, the convict and his friend, one Saheed.
The offence contravene Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
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