Justice Ramon Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja, Lagos has convicted and sentenced a middle-aged man, Sunday Nwokolo, to life imprisonment for defiling a 12-year-old girl.
Justice Oshodi sent Nwokolo to prison for the rest of his life after he found him guilty of a one-count charge of defilement brought against him by the state.
The convict, who resided in the Masamasa area of Lagos, committed the offence on May 27, 2019, at his residence.
The offence, according to the state, contravened the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
In his judgement, Justice Oshodi held that the victim, in the case, was 12 years old when the incident happened.
The judge quoted the convict as saying that the police at Agboju Police Station forced him to write several statements which were torn into shreds until he wrote what they wanted and that the police threatened him about the fate of those who failed to do so according to their bidding.
The judge who spoke about inconsistencies in his statement concluded that the defendant embarked on a mission to defame the Nigeria Police Force with uncoordinated lies.
Before handing down the verdict, the judge directed the convict to address the court. Nwokolo who was seen weeping in the do then begged for mercy.
His counsel, Chris Mbajike, also pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy, pointing out that the convict was a first-time offender and a law-abiding citizen who has also shown remorse.
But the prosecutor, Bukola Okeowo, urged the court to uphold section 137 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos (ACJL) and sentence the defendant accordingly.
In the judgment, Justice Oshodi held that section 137 of the ACJL had tied the hands of judges by prescribing a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for offenders without any discretion.
He thereby sentenced the convict to life imprisonment by the provisions of the law.
