An Akure High Court, has sentenced a 37-year-old farmer, Joseph Agbomu, to life imprisonment for defiling his neighbour’s 6-year-old daughter four years ago.
According to Vanguard Newspaper, Agbomu was charged for rape on March 18, 2019 for which he pleaded not guilty.
Justice Yemi Fasanmi, while delivering judgement in the case, held that the prosecution had proved the case of rape against the convict beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Fasanmi also held that the testimony of the victim was convincing and truthful.
He said in his judgement that “the convict inflicted physical, emotional and psychological trauma on the survivor, who saw a fatherly figure in him, as his father’s kinsman and friend. The evidence of the survivor, corroborated the evidence of the nominal complainant, who is the father of the survivor.”
“The survivor in this case narrated before this court that the convict who was his father’s neighbour, sent her on an errand to buy a pack of indomie. The survivor said the convict cooked the indomie and gave her part of it. And shortly after eating, he pushed her to his bed and inserted his penis into her vaginal. Justice Fasanmi added that the convict, in his extra judicial statement obtained on December 12, 2019, confessed to the commission of the crime.”
According to him “Agbomu confessed to have had carnal knowledge of the survivor in his room, without using condom after taking an herbal alcoholic drink. According to the court, the child’s testimony was copiously corroborated by the convict’s confessional statement that he (Agbomu)had an unlawful sexual intercourse with her.”
Earlier, the state counsel, T.L. Ogundare, had informed the court that, Agbomu raped the victim on September 12, 2018 at about 7:30pm at Ijebu, Owo Local Government.
Ogundare said the offence contravened Sections 375, 378 of the Ondo State Criminal Code, 2006
The prosecutor added that the survivor’s father reported a case of rape against the defendant.
Three witnesses, were called by the prosecutor which included the survivor, her father and a police officer.
However, the counsel to the defendant, A.Y Aliu, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that no case of improper behaviour had ever been brought against the defendant. Aliu pleaded with the court to discountenance the medical report
However, the state prosecutor, while replying, said that “the law under which the defendant was charged does not give the court any discretion.”
Ogundare, therefore, urged the court to impose the mandatory sentence stipulated in the law on the convict. The trial Judge, thereafter convicted Agbomu and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Justice Fasanmi declared that “The convict (Agbomu) is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment for the defilement of a child, to serve as a deterrent to others, who might engage in such act.”
