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Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court Ikeja, Lagos State, on Monday, convicted and sentenced a septuagenarian, David Jackson, to life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s seven-year-old daughter.
The judge sentenced the 72-year-old security guard after she held that the prosecution had proved the three ingredients of defilement against him beyond reasonable doubt.
Delivering her judgment, Soladoye held that the victim was seven years old as of the time of the incident but was eight years old when she testified before the court and identified Jackson as a gateman in one of the houses on her street.
She held, “A brother of the survivor sent her on an errand on this day and when she passed and greeted the convict, Jackson, he dragged her inside the room and she shouted but he used his handkerchief to cover her mouth.
“The testimony of the survivor was clear, consistent and coherent under cross-examination.
“The second prosecution witness was a teacher who identified the survivor as her student and she testified that one of her classmates had reported to her that the survivor was not feeling well and that she was walking in a funnily way.
“The teacher, in her evidence, stated that she made an inquiry and discovered that the survivor was complaining of pains on her private parts and that someone had sexually assaulted her.”
Justice Soladoye also said that the teacher invited the survivor’s parents but they did not come around, hence she reported the case leading to the survivor being referred to the Mirabel Medical Centre in Ikeja, noting that the medical report from the centre was forwarded to the police.
The judge further held that the testimony of the survivor’s father was credible and also corroborated the evidence of the other two prosecution witnesses.
Soladoye noted that attempts of the convict to shy away from the charge did not hold water.
She said: ”The father of the survivor who testified identified Jackson as a security guard around his neighbourhood and that he was with his wife, who was ill in the hospital when the incident happened.
“The testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were credible, convincing, compelling and the prosecution proved the case of defilement against Jackson.
“First, the survivor was a child as she came to the court to testify. Secondly, Jackson had sexual intercourse with her and there was no consent as the survivor is a minor.”
“Jackson is consequently found guilty as charged for the defilement of a seven-year-old child contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015 and he is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment,” the judge held.
She also ordered that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offences Register as maintained by the Lagos State Government.
The state prosecution counsel, Ms Abimbola Abolade, called three witnesses during the trial while the convict testified as the sole witness.
Abolade said that the convict committed the offence on May 16, 2022, at Oyedele Close, Ojodu, in the Berger area in Lagos State.
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