Cleric, cobbler bag life imprisonment for defiling 13-year-old girl

The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced a cleric, Yakubu Isiaka, and a cobbler, Alex Michael, to life imprisonment for having carnal knowledge of a 13-year-old girl in the state.

The presiding judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, handed down the sentences on Wednesday, June 21.

In sentencing the duo, Justice Oshodi said the prosecution proved the case of defilement against the cobbler and cleric beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge held that the convicts failed to tender any statement to prove their innocence before the court.

Justice Oshodi said: “The only statement before the court is the confession by Michael and corroborated by the Investigating Police Officer who testified that the convict admitted that he had sexual intercourse with the victim thrice.

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“I also believe that Michael had the opportunity to commit the crime since he was a neighbour of the victim.”

He added that both convicts admitted to the police at Owutu Police Division in the Ikorodu area of Lagos to have had carnal knowledge of the underage girl.

The judge said: “You, Michael said that you had sexual intercourse with the girl three times because she was flirting around you.

“You also shared pornographic materials of the victim on your mobile phone.

“As for you, Isiaka the evidence before this court shows that you had sexual intercourse with the girl twice.

“You gave her N500 the first time you had intercourse with her and N200, the second time.”

Justice Oshodi declared that he found the duo guilty of the two-count charge of defilement and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

He ordered that the names of the convicts be registered in the sex offenders register maintained by the Lagos State Government.

The lead prosecutor, Babajide Boye, had earlier told the court that the convicts committed the offences between October and November 2019 in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The offence, according to him, contravened the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.

The Star