Ruth Semilore
The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja yesterday convicted and sentenced a man, Dennis Okubiat, to 20 years imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old church member for three months which led to urinary incontinence.
Justice Ismail Ijelu found the convict guilty after reviewing the victim’s evidence which colluded with that of the medical report.
The judge also held that the prosecuting counsel Babatunde Sunmonu, proved the one-count charge of child defilement brought against the convict beyond all reasonable doubt.
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Sunmonu had told the court that the convict committed the offence on September 6, 2021, at about 10 am, in Tomoron Village Lagos Island, contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
The victim had told the judge during the trial that she went for evangelism and in the process, went to check on the convict, who had not been coming to church after the pastor of her church said they should visit members who have not been seen in church for a period of time.
But during the visit, she claimed that the convict offered her a meal of garri and groundnut, and after eating, she slept off.
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“When I woke up, I saw a white substance in my private part, and I woke Okubiat up and asked him what happened to me; he said if I told anybody, he would kill me”.
In his defence, Okubiat said the victim came to his house because her mother was working in a hotel and she abandoned the victim and her other siblings and that he used to give the victim and her sister food whenever they were hungry.
He also testified that he had known the victim’s family since the time they came into the community.
In his judgment, Justice Ijelu held that Okubiat didn’t deny or challenge the victim’s testimony.
He said he knew the girl and that she was a 12-year-old child.
The judge therefore sentenced Okubiat to 20 years imprisonment.
