Justice Abiola Soladoye of a Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, Ikeja, yesterday, sentenced a 72-year-old security guard, David Jackson, to life imprisonment for defiling a neighbour’s seven-year-old daughter.
Jackson was sentenced after he was found guilty as charged by the state government. The prosecution had alleged that Jackson committed the offence on May 16, 2022 at Oyedele Close, Ojodu Berger, Lagos State. His offence was contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charge and the prosecution commenced trial. However, while delivering judgment, the judge held that the prosecution proved the case of defilement against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt. She held that the survivor was a minor at the time of the incident and she was eight years when she gave evidence before the court.
The court held that the survivor identified the defendant (Jackson) as a gateman in one of the houses on her street. According to the judge, the survivor said that her brother sent her on an errand on the day of incident. When she passed and greeted the defendant, Jackson, he dragged her inside a room. She shouted but he used his handkerchief to cover her mouth.
The judge held that the testimony of the survivor was consistent and coherent under cross-examination. The judge added that the second prosecution witness, the survivor’s teacher, in her testimony, had told the court how a classmate of the survivor reported that the survivor was not feeling well and that she was walking in a funny way.
“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.
“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 Mirabel Medical Centre in Ikeja, and the medical report from the centre was forwarded to the police,” the court said.
Justice Soladoye 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.
According to the judge, attempts by 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 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 judge found the defendant guilty as charged for defilement of a seven-year-old child and therefore sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The judge also ordered that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offences Register as maintained by Lagos State Government.
During trial, the prosecution counsel, Ms Abimbola Abolade, had called three witnesses while the convict testified alone.
