An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, on Wednesday sentenced a 42-year-old security guard, Daniel Okon, to life imprisonment for defiling a four-year-old girl in a toilet.
Justice Abiola Soladoye held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubts on the charge of defilement against Okon.
Soladoye said Okon was a paedophile who entered into a random compound on the pretext of using their toilet and he saw the 4-year-old victim playing in the compound.
According to her: “The evidence of the child tallied with her mother’s testimony and that of the doctor who examined her.
“The defendant took the child and assaulted her by inserting his finger into her vagina.
“The child started screaming and people heard and accosted the defendant and when the child’s mother came she picked her child and saw she was assaulted.
“The mother had the defendant arrested and the child was taken to the hospital.
“This defendant is a pathological liar, a bare faced liar, who unsuccessfully tried to deny his involvement in the horrible act.”
The judge further said that the ingredient of defilement was thoroughly satisfying under section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State by the prosecution.
She also berated the mother of the child for leaving her daughter to wander aimlessly in the compound.
“The mother of this child should also be blamed for being parentally negligent by leaving her daughter to wander around in the compound.
“This mother has herself to blame as children are precious and should be treated with tender care.
“With all the evidence adduced before this court, the prosecution has sufficiently proved the charge of defilement against the defendant.
“The defendant is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment and he should have his name registered in the Sexual Offences Register of Lagos State,” Soladoye said.
The Lagos State counsel, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke, presented three witnesses – the victim, her mother and medical doctor – while the convict testified as a sole witness during the trial.
Adegoke submitted that the convict committed the offence on April 21, 2017, about 11.30 a.m. at No. 10 Maxwell-Ijeh St., Aguda, Surulere, Lagos.
