The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State on Monday sentenced a 56-year-old driver, Folarin Raufu, to life imprisonment for raping his employer’s five-year-old granddaughter.
Penpushing reports that the innocent victim told the court that her grandfather’s driver had sex with her several times that she lost count of the number of times, while during his arraignment on November 30, 2021 the sex-maniac driver pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution during the trial called four witnesses, including the survivor and tendered two documents while the defendant testified as the sole witness for himself, and the victim testified in court on 5 August 2022 about how the convict raped her.
Penpushing further reports that the minor told the court that the driver had sex with her several times in her grandfather’s living room and in the SUV on the premises, adding that on one of the occasions, she was playing with her friend when the driver asked the friend to leave, and he inserted his penis in her ‘bombom’ (vagina).
The girl informed the court that the driver threatened her not to tell anybody but that she later told her grandfather, explaining during cross examination that the driver takes her to school and drops her grandfather at work.
Penpushing also reports that the grandfather, identified as Oyenuga in his testimony told the court how he found out, through her grandchild who came to his room and narrated her ordeal in the hands of the driver
‘My granddaughter later came to my room to whisper in my ears. She said, ‘Grandpa, I have something to tell you and she told me to bring my ears closer. She whispered that the defendant cuddled her to his chest, kissed her, brought out his penis and inserted it into her vagina’
“I confronted the defendant the following day and asked him if he wanted to marry a new wife, is it my granddaughter that he intends to marry? He replied that he only kissed her. I discussed the issue with my daughters, and we decided to report the case to the Ikeja Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency. My granddaughter revealed more details to the agency that interviewed her and made drawings to describe the defendant’s position and her while in the car”, Oyenuga said
Penpushing reports that delivering her judgement, the judge Justice Abiola Soladoye described the convict as a pathological liar who tried to discharge himself from the charge as he claimed not to understand the English language but responded as the court registrar read the charge in English.
‘The defendant denied having sexual intercourse with the victim but told the court he only planted kisses on her cheeks and cuddled her. Under cross-examination, he denied making any statement at Ojodu Police Station, but the same statement was tendered and admitted in evidence as exhibit B. He told the court he did not understand English, but when the registrar was reading out the charge, he was already replying. He lied to the face of the court.”
Penpushing further reports that Soladoye urged parents and guardians against entrusting their children to the care of good for nothing staff, so they were not sexually violated, stressing the need for regular supervision of their children.
‘The need for supervision at all times cannot be over-emphasised in this age and time where sexual abuse is being perpetrated. Furthermore, children should be trained to speak up and report any such sexual violations against such persons to their parents, teachers or authorities so that they can be properly investigated.”
Penpushing reports that the prosecutor said the offence contravenes Section 137 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015, and the convict was charged on a one-count charge of defilement, while the court found him guilty and subsequently sentenced him
The judge held that the prosecution led by Abimbola Abolade successfully proved the three ingredients of defilement that, the child was underage, that the defendant had sexual intercourse with the minor and that the child’s consent was immaterial.
Penpushing further reports that the judge pointed out that the victim’s testimony was well corroborated by the mother and grandfather before it was reported to the authorities
‘The victim’s testimony was well corroborated by the mother and grandfather before it was reported to the authorities. The conduct of the defendant is nasty, devoid of character, reckless, and his own way of saying thank you to his employer was to defile his granddaughter”, the judge noted
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