The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a 27-year-old cleaner, Saviour Udoh, to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl on a church premises.
Udoh was arraigned on February 5, 2020, on a count of sexual assault by penetration preferred against him by the state, to which he pleaded not guilty.
According to the prosecution counsel, I.D. Solarin, the offence committed by Udoh contravened Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The court heard that the incident occurred on December 12, 2018, on the premises of a prominent Pentecostal church in Ikeja, Lagos.
Udoh, who also worked as a cleaner at the church, approached the sleeping child in the children’s department and sexually assaulted her.
The victim’s mother reported the crime to the authorities, leading to Udoh’s arrest.
Trial judge, Justice Ramon Oshodi held that the prosecution was able to prove the offence of defilement against the convict without reasonable doubt.
He said the defendant’s action was grave, reprehensible and deserving of the maximum punishment under the law.
In his judgement, Justice Oshodi said the court carefully considered the evidence presented during the trial, including the confessional statement, the testimony of the victim, her mother, the IPO, and the medical evidence.
He said the crime of sexual exploitation of a vulnerable child was grave and that the victim was still suffering from the effects of the crime committed by the convict, adding that the victim’s mother, in her testimony, stated that she was still taking the victim to the hospital three years after the incident and that the victim was still having discharges.
“Sexual assault by penetration is a serious offence that attracts a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment under Section 261 of the Criminal Law”, he stated.
Justice Oshodi acknowledged the convict’s plea for mercy but said the aggravating factors outweigh any other circumstance.
He, therefore, convicted the defendant on the one-count charge of sexual assault by penetration and sentenced him to life imprisonment, ordering that the name of the convict should be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.