Bricklayer bags life imprisonment for raping minor

Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, on Wednesday, convicted and sentenced a bricklayer, Gabriel Awaye, to life imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl in his room.

The judge held that the prosecution was able to prove the ingredients of the two counts of defilement and sexual assault against the convict.

Justice Soladoye held that Awaye, by his audacious sexual recklessness, was not fit to be in the community of civilised people and should be locked away for life.

While delivering her judgment on Wednesday, she stated that the survivor was lucid and unambiguous while giving her evidence before the court.

The judge further stated that the survivor’s evidence also corroborated with other prosecution witnesses.

“The Prosecution Witness One (survivor) testified before this court that she was at her grandmother’s place when her friend, Rofiat, told her that her sister sent for her.

“The witness said when she got to the place, she did not meet her sister but saw the convict who pushed her onto the mat and sodomised her.

“The evidence of the convict is laced with lies as he tried to detach himself from the offence by saying the mother of the survivor tried to have a sexual relationship with him.

“To the mind of this court, the prosecution witnesses were truthful in their testimonies and their pieces of evidence were corroborated,” she said.

Justice Soladoye stated that upon careful consideration of the evidence adduced before the court, it found Awaye guilty of the two counts of defilement and sexual assault.

“The survivor identified Awaye as the man who defiled her when she was 13 years old.

“Awaye is hereby found guilty and is sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the two-count charges and he should have his name registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register,” the judge held.

During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, while the convict testified as the sole witness in his case.

The state’s prosecuting counsel, Ms Abimbola Abolade, said the convict committed the offences on June 2, 2021.

She said the incident took place at Agbawaye Street, Command, Agbado Oke-Odo, area of Lagos State.

When the convict was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty to the two counts preferred against him by the state.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 127 and 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.