An Ogun State High Court, sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta has sentenced a retired soldier, Alabi Ibrahim to life imprisonment for raping his 10-year old stepdaughter and infecting her with HIV.
Ibrahim, committed the offence in 2012 in his house where both the victim and her mother reside with him.
He was subsequently arrested by the police and later charged to court.
Earlier in the trial under charge number AB/37/C/14, a medical report presented in the court by the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta established that the convict had sexually assaulted the girl and also infected her with HIV.
Similarly, the assaulted girl told the court that she had lost count on number of times her step father had canal knowledge of her.
She also told the court that at the end of every sex, the convict always threatened her that she would die if she should tell anybody.
The convict’s counsel, Adebola Okudoro appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy.
“My Lord, the accused person is a first offender. The health of the accused should be put into consideration. He is infected with HIV, and will need access to medical attention, which is very expensive, and there is no such facility in prison custody.
“The accused person is the breadwinner of his family. He has several dependants. We pray the court to temper justice with mercy”, the counsel pleaded.
Delivering his judgment, Justice A.A Akinyemi said the accused faced a one count charge of having sexual intercourse with the child, offence said to be contrary to section 3 of Child Rights Law.
He said that the court was convinced with the allegation against the accused after several court sittings.
Akinyemi added that “the victim’s testimony during a cross examination showed that, she was telling the truth, and not tutored and there were concrete evidences that the victim was sexually assaulted, having also lost count on number of times the convict assaulted her.
“The court is convinced about the girl’s evidences; she is intelligent. She remained consistent during cross examination. She does not seem to have been tutored. I find her evidence credible. Evidence of her mother corroborated her own”, the judge stated.
“I am fully convinced that the accused had repeatedly had sex with the girl. I find the accused guilty as charged. I find it not in my mind to show any mercy. The man is shameless, sleeping with mother and child, what an abomination. People like him need not to be in the society. I therefore sentence him to life imprisonment; he should however be given access to reasonable treatment”, the judge held.
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