Man sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping 12-year-old church member for 3 months

Man sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping 12-year-old church member for 3 months

One Dennis Okubiat has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old in Lagos State.

Okubiat was convicted and sentenced by Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Wednesday.

The victim, who attended the same church as the convict, suffered urinary incontinence due to months of sexual assault.

The judge found him guilty after examining the victim’s evidence which colluded with that of the medical report.

The judge also held that the prosecuting counsel Babatunde Sunmonu, substantiatedthe one-count charge of child defilement brought against the convict beyond all reasonable doubt.

The convict committed the offence on September 6, 2021, at about 10 am, in Tomoron Village Lagos Island, contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015, Sunmonu told the court.

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The victim had told the judge during the trial that she went for evangelism and in the process, went to check on the convict, who had not been coming to church after the pastor of her church said they should visit members who have not been seen in church for a period of time.

But during the visit, she claimed that the convict offered her a meal of garri and groundnut, and after eating, she slept off.

“When I woke up, I saw a white substance in my private part, and I woke Okubiat up and asked him what happened to me; he said if I told anybody, he would kill me”.

In his defence, Okubiat said the victim came to his house because her mother was working in a hotel and she abandoned the victim and her other siblings and that he used to give the victim and her sister food whenever they were hungry.

He also testified that he had known the victim’s family since the time they came into the community.

In his judgment, Justice Ijelu held that Okubiat didn’t deny or challenge the victim’s testimony.

He said he knew the girl and that she was a 12-year-old child.

The judge therefore sentenced Okubiat to 20 years imprisonment

Man sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping 12-year-old church member for 3 months