Court Sentence Man Who Ra-ped, Infected 14-Year-Old With HIV | READ JUDGEMENT
The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, has sentenced one Richard Saviour to life imprisonment for rapi-ng his wife’s 14-year-old niece.
According to the Lagos State Domestic and S-exual Viol-ence Agency, the police took the victim to a hospital where she tested positive to HIV after the incident
She was later transferred to Mary’s Home Orphanage where she was looked after with the help of Positive Action for Treatment Access, a Non-Governmental Organisation.
Delivering judgement on Tuesday, Justice Oyindamola Ogala held that the evidence provided by all the prosecution witnesses was corroborated and considered as the truth.
Justice Ogala said the victim’s evidence was corroborated by the Investigating Police Officer and Social Worker from the state Ministry of Youth and Social Welfare, hence establishing the offence of defilement against the convict.
“The testimony before the court depicts the ‘evil’ perpetrated on this young girl and how she was abused both mentally and physically by the defendant and his wife for years.
“Revealing how she indeed ‘cried out’ for help and was betrayed by those who were supposed to help and support her.
“It is imperative to state at this juncture that the actions of the principal of PW2’s school and the social worker (PW3) are commendable as same eventually brought some succor and relief to PW2, who unfortunately has been permanently ‘scared’.
“Having carefully considered the entirety of facts before the court, it finds that in this instance, the prosecution has satisfactorily proved the one count information the defendant stands faced with.”
“The defendant in his evidence before the court indeed narrated how PW2 (the survivor) had at one instance, after running from home to avoid a beating from his wife, ran to the station and he was subsequently informed that PW2 accused him of molesting her.
“The court finds that the totality of the testimony of the defendant who testified in his defence calling no additional witness is in essence a denial of the allegation without more.
“He offered no reliable explanations to the charge aside from attempts to depict PW2 as a stubborn girl and one who stole from himself and his wife,” the judge ruled.
