Man Bags Life Imprisonment For Defiling Seven Years Old Niece
Justice Sururat Soladoye of the Lagos State Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court in Ikeja on Monday convicted and sentenced a 30-year- old Bricklayer, Idowu Ismail Gbolahan to life imprisonment for defiling his seven year old niece (name withheld).
Justice Soladoye ordered that Gbolahan be kept behind bars for the rest of his life after he pleaded guilty to one-count charge of defilement brought against him by the Lagos State government.
The state had accused the convict of defiling his niece when she went to visit her grandmother at no 50 Maroko Road, Shomolu, Lagos on August 11, 2018.
The state’s prosecuting counsel, Mrs Fehinti Ogbemudia while reviewing the fact of the case had told the court that the convict carried the victim from her grandmother room where she went to drink water.
Ogbemudia had claimed that the convict had suddenly carried the victim to his room and shut the door. He removed her pants and have sexual intercourse with her. The victim’s scream attracted the neighbour, one Ukfot Esther who led the rescue of the victim.
The lawyer further stated, “the convict made confessional statement and the victim was referred to the Mirable center of Lagos State Teaching Hospital for medical examination to corroborate her evidence.
“Both confessional statement and the mirabel report attached to the proof of evidence is before the court. We rely on the provision of section 213 (2) of Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) 2015.
Ogbemudia also submitted that the defendant be convicted based on his guilty plea and sentence accordingly.
Justice Soladoye, in her judgment, held that the convict pleaded guilty to one-count charge of defilement of a child contrary to section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
“The defendant upon arraignment, admitted to defiling the victim who is a seven-year-old child. I have listened carefully to the allocutus of his defence counsel Mr Kelechi Obi, the offence in question is a strict liability offence.
“An offence against a child is a violation of her chastity and I cannot imagine the emotional and physical scars she will endure for the rest of her life. Idowu Ismail Gbolahan, male, is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment, this is the sentence of this honourable court.”
Earlier, the defendant counsel, Kelechi Obi in his pleaded for mercy on behalf of his client, had said that the convict is a first time offender having no criminal record and that he did not waste the time of the court.
