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By Shola Soyele

A Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday sentenced a septuagenarian, a 72-year-old security guard, David Jackson to life imprisonment for defiling a 7-year-old neighbour’s daughter.

Justice Abiola Soladoye passed the ruling after she held that the prosecution had proved the three ingredients of defilement against the convict.

Justice Soladoye, in her judgment, held that the survivor was seven years old at the time of the incident, but she was eight years old when she testified before the court and identified Jackson as a gateman in one of the houses on her street.

The prosecutor submitted that the accused committed the offence on May 16, 2022, at Oyedele Close, Ojodu, Berger in Lagos.

According to the judge: “the facts of the case were that a brother of the survivor sent her on an errand on the day of the incident and when she passed and greeted the defendant, Jackson, he dragged her inside the room and when she shouted, 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 that the survivor was her student and she testified that one of her classmates had reported to her that the survivor was not feeling well and she was walking funnily.

“The teacher, in her evidence, said she made an inquiry and discovered that the survivor was complaining of pains on her private part and that someone had sexually assaulted her.”

Justice Soladoye also said that the teacher invited the parents of the survivor but they did not come around, hence she reported the case and the survivor was referred to the Mirabel Medical Centre in Ikeja and the medical report from the centre was forwarded to the police.

The court, in its judgment, also held that the testimony of the survivor’s father was credible and was also corroborated with the evidence of the other two prosecution witnesses.

The judge held 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 the defendant as a security guard around his neighbourhood and said 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 the defendant.

“First, the survivor was a child as she came to the court to testify, secondly the defendant had sexual intercourse with her and there was no consent as the survivor is a minor”

“The defendant is consequently found guilty as charged for the defilement of a 7-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 also ordered that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offences Register as maintained by the Lagos State Government.

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