A Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, sitting in Ikeja, has sentenced a rewire, Sunday George, to life imprisonment for sexually defiling his neighbor’s 12-year-old daughter.
Justice Abiola Soladoye held that the prosecution had sufficiently proved the charge of defilement against the convict, beyond reasonable doubts.
The judge referred to the convict as an irresponsible adult and a pathological liar, whose testimony was an afterthought as his testimony lacked credibility.
She said the Court was satisfied with the testimony of the survivor because it was unambiguous.
According to her, the story as narrated by the survivor was very chilling, cogent, convincing and truthful. The defendant defiled her by having sex with her in the bathroom and threatened her not to tell anyone.
“He had sex with her on several occasions in the bathroom and anytime she goes to watch movie on the defendant’s phones in his room.
“Identifications in criminal cases are very germane. The survivor in this case identified the man in the dock as their neighbour who defiled her severally in the bathroom and his room.
“Her testimony was corroborated by the evidence of the IPO, Inspector Medinat Ganiyu, who investigated this case and testified that the survivor and her father came to the station to lodge a complaint and upon arrest, the defendant wrote a statement.
“Although the defendant denied robbing the survivor’s breast and watching movies with her on his phone in the room, this is an attempt to lie his way out but he failed because the statement he told the court that he did not make, was tendered as evidence before the court.
“The defendant is an irresponsible adult and a shameless pedophile, whose denial of having any sexual relations with the survivor is an afterthought.
“Upon careful review of the evidence before the court, the defendant is hereby found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.”
She added that his name should also be entered in the Sexual Offenders Register, as maintained by the Lagos State Government.
The judge appealed to relevant authorities not to relent in sensitising parents in market places, bus and train terminals, as well as PTA meetings on proper monitoring of their wards so as to avoid sexual predators from tampering with their innocence.
Earlier, the state prosecutor, Mr Olusola Soneye, presented two witnesses against the convict while he testified as a sole witness in the trial.
The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, (2015) and punishable with life imprisonment.