For defiling his neighbour's 9-year-old daughter, (name withheld), a painter, Azeez Salau, was on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, put to life imprisonment by the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court.
Delivery its judgment on the charge slammed against the painter by the Lagos State Government (LASG), Justice Soladoye, the court, presided over by Justice Abiola Soladoye, held that the prosecution had sufficiently proved the three ingredients of defilement against Salau.
Justice Soladoye further declared that the convicted painter was a shameless and sexual pervert who entered the room of his neighbour while she had gone to work at night and had sex with her daughter, adding that the survivor recognized the convict as “Daddy Khalid” who had sex with her three times in her mother's room while her mother was at work.
The judge, who insisted that the testimony of the survivor was clear, consistent, and coherent under rigorous cross-examination, added that her evidence was corroborated by the medical report.
The judge said: “The first prosecution witness, a 10-year-old child, testified before this court that she lives with her mother and identified the defendant in the dock as their neighbour, known as 'Daddy Khalid'.
“She said that the defendant would come to her room and have sexual intercourse with her, since no one was usually at home when it happened.
“In her words, she said, 'I am always on the bed, and he is also on the bed with me, he touches my body with his hands and uses his penis to have sex with me through my vagina'.
“Dr Alagbe Oyedeji of Mirabel Medical Centre said that the medical report showed multiple healed lacerations as there was blunt, forceful penetration of the vagina.”
Justice Soladoye also maintained that the mother of the survivor, who testified, said that she was a night worker and that the survivor and her brother were made to sleep alone in the house.
“The mother of the children said one of her neighbours, Mummy Darasimi informed her of the incident.
“The defendant, in his defence, said that he had an issue with the mother of the girl, but his story did not add up as he tried to distance himself from the commission of the crime, but his testimony does not hold water.
“The victim in this case gave vivid, thorough evidence which was corroborated with the medical report," she said.
As a result, Justice Soladoye convicted the painter and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The judge ordered that the painter’s name should be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.
In her words: “The defendant is a neighbour to the victim and in this case, he ought not to have done what he did to the child.
“This should serve as a strong warning to the perpetrators of this act that the day of reckoning is near.
“Parents are once again advised that the need for mentorship and monitoring of their children is not negotiable.
“Consequently, the defendant is hereby found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.”
While the trial lasted, the prosecution called three witnesses, while the convict testified as a sole witness.
The LASG had argued that the convict committed the offence sometime in January 2020 on Oshiboyede Street, Selewu, Igbogbo, Ikorodu Lagos.
According to the state government, the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
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