Ondo man gets life sentence for raping minor

A high court in Akure on Wednesday sentenced a 37-year-old farmer, Joseph Agbomu, to life imprisonment for raping his neighbor's six-year-old daughter.

Mr. Agbomu committed the offense on March 18, 2019. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Rendering his judgement, Yemi Fasanmi found that the prosecution had proven its case against the convicted person beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court also found the victim's testimony to be convincing and true.

According to the judge, the convict inflicted physical, emotional and psychological trauma on the victim, who saw him as a father figure as a relative and friend of his father.

The judge further noted that the testimony of the victim corroborated the testimony of the nominal plaintiff, his father.

"The survivor in this case told this court that the convict, who was her father's neighbor, sent her on an errand to buy a package of indomie," the judge said.< /p>

"The survivor said the convict cooked the indomia and gave her some of it. And shortly after she ate, he pushed her into bed and inserted his penis into her vagina."

The judge also said that the convict, in his out-of-court statement obtained on December 12, 2019, had confessed to the crime.

He said that Mr. Agbomu confessed to having carnal intercourse with the survivor in his room, without using a condom, after taking an alcoholic herbal drink.

The judge noted that the child's testimony was amply corroborated by the convict's confession.

Earlier, State Attorney T.L. Ogundare informed the court that Mr. Agbomu raped the victim on September 12, 2018, at around 7:30 p.m. in Ijebu, Owo Local Government Area in Ondo State.

The prosecutor said the offense violated Sections 375, 378 of the Ondo State Penal Code, 2006

Mr. Ogundare said the survivor's father reported a case of rape against the accused.

The prosecutor called three witnesses, including the survivor, her father and a police officer.

After his conviction, the defendant's lawyer, A.Y Aliu, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, saying that no previous case of inappropriate behavior had ever been brought against the defendant.

Mr. Aliu previously urged the court to dismiss the medical report.

However, the prosecutor argued that the law under which the defendant was charged does not give the court any discretion.

He therefore urged the court to impose on the convict the mandatory sentence provided by law.

The judge, in his verdict, found Mr. Agbomu guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

“The convict (Agbomu) is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment for the desecration of a child to deter others, who may engage in such an act,” he said.< /p> Support PREMIUM TIMES integrity and credibility journalism Good journalism is very expensive. However, only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy and a transparent government...