TheCable

An Ikeja sexual offences and domestic violence court has sentenced Olawale Olarewaju, a security guard, to life imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl.

Rahman Oshodi, the trial judge, found Olarewaju guilty of defiling the 12-year-old, adding that the survivor who is now 18 years, had testified a year after the incident occurred.

The judge said her testimony corroborated that of her father who was the second prosecution witness, adding that the victim gave a solid testimony of what the defendant did to her.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Lagos State Sexual and Domestic Violence Agency (LSDVA) explained that when the survivor went to fetch water, the defendant came from behind her, closed her mouth and she found herself in the same room with him, where he tore her clothes and forcefully had sex with her.

According to the prosecution, the offence contravenes Section 137 of the 2015 criminal laws of Lagos state.

The agency said the judge sentenced the bricklayer to life imprisonment and ordered that his name be inserted in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.

“She said that the defendant ‘tore my clothes, and forcefully had sex with me and I started having pains in my vagina,” the agency quoted the judge as saying.

“She testified further that she informed her parents of the incident and her father reported the case at the nearest police station.

“The prosecutrix further told the court that she was taken to Mirabel Medical Centre for examination.

“I believe her. The defendant’s denial does not hold water as he admitted knowing the prosecutrix but made a U-turn during cross-examination that he did not know her.

“He also admitted that the prosecution came to the compound to fetch water.”