Driver bags life imprisonment for raping employer’s granddaughter

A 56-year-old driver identified to be Folarin Raufu, had   been sentenced for life imprisonment yesterday by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court Division for raping his employer’s granddaughter, aged five years.

It was learnt that Justice Abiola Soladoye held that the prosecution successfully proved all the ingredients of defilement against Raufu.

Soladoye said the conduct of the convict was nasty.

According to her, the minor/survivor brilliantly presented the sequence of how the convict defiled her.

She said, “The survivor was lucid and unshaken during her cross-examination, as she spoke eloquently and intelligently detailing the gristly incident of how her grandfather’s driver ruthlessly defiled her in their living room and inside her grandfather’s jeep.

“The survivor recognised the defendant as Mr Folarin, who had sexual intercourse with her both in the living room and inside her grandfather’s jeep.

“The grandfather, who was Prosecution Witness Two (PW2), in his testimony, said that his granddaughter whispered in his ears that the defendant defiled her, which necessitated his arrest.”

She described the convict as a liar, who tried to avoid the charge by claiming that he did not understand the English Language but still responded appropriately when the court registrar read out the charge in the English Language.

“The defendant denied having sexual intercourse with the survivor but told the court that 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 lied to the court,” she said.

The judge held that evidence of the survivor was corroborated by a medical report from Mirabel Medical Centre as well as testimonies of two other Prosecution witnesses.

“The defendant is an ingrate who should be named and shamed as a disloyal, unreliable and untrustworthy employee.

“The court finds you, Folarin Raufu, guilty of the offence and hereby sentences you to life imprisonment.

“The convict should have his name registered in the sexual offences register as maintained by Lagos State,” the judge said.

Soladoye called on parents and guardians to desist from entrusting their children and wards to the care of ‘good-for-nothing staff’ to avoid sexual assault.

“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 sexual violations to their parents, teachers or authorities so that they can be properly investigated,” she added.

Lagos State counsel, Ms Abimbola Abolade, presented four witnesses during the trial and tendered two documents in evidence, while the defendant testified as the sole defence witness.

According to Lagos State Government, which prosecuted the case, child defilement violates Section 137 of its Criminal Law of 2015.

The offence attracts life imprisonment.