A Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a printer, Emmanuel Lakehinde, to life imprisonment for def!ling his 11-year-old neighbour’s daughter in a bathroom.
Justice Rahman Oshodi convicted and sentenced Lakehinde after finding him guilty on a two-count charge of def!lement and conspiracy brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
He will serve the sentence at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre.
Lakehinde was first arraigned alongside one Sesan Oluwole before a magistrate court in 2015.
However, Oluwole absconded after being granted bail. Lakehinde later appeared alone before the court on July 14, 2022, where he pleaded not guilty.
According to the prosecution, the defendant and another person still at large unlawfully had s3xual intercourse with the minor on December 12, 2013, on Sanusi Street, Somolu, Lagos.
While delivering judgment, Justice Oshodi held that he was satisfied that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The charge of defilement, which is punishable with life imprisonment, reflects the gravity with which the law views the s3xual violation of children, who are among the most vulnerable members of our society and entitled to protection from predatory conduct by adults,” he said.
The judge noted that the convict exploited his proximity to the survivor, who lived in the same compound where he worked.
“You breached the trust that should exist between adults and children. The survivor, whom the prosecution observed during sentencing, is present in court today with her grandfather and was only eleven years old at the time you committed this heinous offence.
“According to the prosecution, the survivor and her family rejected your request for a plea bargain, reasonably so, because your actions have caused irreparable harm to her, and the trauma will stay with her for the rest of her life.”
Justice Oshodi added that while he considered the arguments made in favour of the convict, the need to protect children, punish offenders, and deter similar crimes weighed heavily in his decision.
He therefore sentenced Lakehinde to life imprisonment for defilement and 10 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, with both sentences to run concurrently.
The judge also ordered that Lakehinde’s name be entered into the S3x Offenders Register in line with Sections 33 and 38 of the Lagos State Domestic and S3xual Violence Agency Law, 2021.
During the trial, the prosecution team led by Mr. Babajide Boye, called three witnesses: the survivor, her grandfather, and a medical officer, whose testimonies and documentary evidence were admitted by the court.
The convict testified as the sole defence witness. The prosecution noted that the offences contravened Sections 137 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015
