Justice Abiola Soladoye of an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court, on Tuesday, found a middle-aged artisan, Gbenga Olasunkanmi, guilty of defiling a 12-year-old customer, (name withheld) who was in his shop to mend her school bag.
Four years after the offence was committed, Olasunkanmi was pronounced guilty of child defilement and the Court eventually sentenced him to a life imprisonment without option of fine.
During the trial, the state produced three witnesses including the survivor’s father, the survivor and a medical doctor who testified for the prosecution while the convict testified solely in his defence.
In her judgement, Justice Soladoye, who scolded the convict, declared, “Pouncing on an innocent young girl should be something that should be condemned in all ramifications as she has now suffered emotionally and psychologically.
“This callous defendant is mean and vicious and is not fit to live in a sane society.
“The evidence of the prosecution witnesses has been compelling, consistent and the prosecution has proved the offence of defiling a child under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
“The defendant having been found guilty of the offence as charged, is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment with no option of any fine.
“His name Gbenga Olasunkanmi should also be registered in the Sex Offenders Register kept by the Lagos State Government. This is the judgement of the court”.
The state prosecutor, Mr Peter Owolabani, proved before the court that the convict who is a bag repairer, “committed the offence at 5pm on Sept. 6, 2017 at Isolo, Lagos.”
The minor was said to have gone to Olasunkanmi’s shop to repair her schoolbag, on her return her mother noticed that the bag was not properly repaired and told her to return to the artisan to properly repair the bag.
“After he repaired the bag for the second time, as the survivor was leaving, the convict pulled her back and forcefully defiled her in his shop,” the prosecutor said.
Though, the convict had told the court he didn’t commit the offence, but the court found the evidences of the prosecution worthy and subsequently convicted Olasunkanmi.
