Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced a 65-year-old man, Igwe Ambrose, to life imprisonment for defiling two minors.
Justice Soladoye sent Ambrose to prison for the rest of his life after she found him guilty of a four-count charge of sexual assault by penetration and indecent treatment of a child, brought against him by Lagos State.
The prosecution had accused the convict of inserting his fingers into the private parts of the minors, aged seven and 11 years, who are daughters of his tenant.
The prosecutor, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke, said the offences were committed between January and June 2021 at Shagari Estate, Ipaja, Lagos.
During the trial, Adegoke called four witnesses, including the two survivors, their mother and the investigating pPolice officer (IPO) through whom five exhibits were tendered.
The convict testified for himself.
In her judgment, Justice Soladoye held that the prosecution had proved the charges against the convict beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge described the convict as a dirty old man who fingered and touched the breasts of the survivors under the pretext of helping them with their school homework.
The court noted that the defendant was identified and that the evidence of the survivors exposed him as a bare-faced liar.
Justice Soladoye held that the convict’s defence was untruthful and lacking in merit.
Justice Soladoye in her judgement however held that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, including that of the survivors, were credible.
She held, “The defendant was identified as the assailant and their evidence was corroborated by their mother and the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) who visited the crime scene and a clear account of the assault and indecent treatment was confirmed.”
Justice Soladoye sentenced the convict to life imprisonment on counts one and two and three years each on counts three and four.
She also ordered that the name of the convict be entered in the Sexual Offences Register maintained by the Lagos State government.
