Justice Rahman Oshodi, of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced 64-year-old Lateef Durojaiye to life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s 11-year-old daughter.
His name will be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register as maintained by Lagos State.
Durojaiye was initially arraigned on December 6, 2019, at the Magistrate Court, Ikorodu, on a one-count charge of defilement and was later arraigned before the High Court on August 5, 2021, on the same charge.
The case was later struck out on November 29, 2021, for want of diligent prosecution and then relisted on May 22, 2022 when the defendant was re-arraigned, and he pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against him.
Following an amended charge by the prosecution on January 24, 2024, the defendant was re-arraigned on April 16, 2024, on a count of defilement.
The prosecution stated that on November 30, 2019, while the prosecutor’s mother was away, the defendant, a tenant and neighbor, entered her residence and had sexual intercourse with her.
The crime was discovered five days later when the prosecutor was seen limping, leading to a medical examination that confirmed injuries from forceful penetration, as testified by a doctor.
The prosecution presented a series of escalating incidents, beginning with the defendant showing the prosecutrix pornographic content and asking if she could perform the act. The second incident involved the defendant defiling her and threatening to kill her if she reported it to her mother.
The prosecutor’s mother also alleged that the defendant and his brothers came to plead with her to forget the case with #300,000.
According to the prosecution, the offence contravened Section 139 (1) of the Evidence Act and Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
Durojaiye was therefore sentenced to life imprisonment under Sections 33 and 38 of the Lagos State Domestic and Violence Agency Law, 2021.
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