On Monday, the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sentenced Saviour Udoh, a 27-year-old janitor, to life in prison for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl on church grounds.
Justice Ramon Oshodi determined that the prosecution was competent to prove the offence of defilement against the convict beyond a reasonable doubt, adding that the defendant’s actions were repugnant and deserved of the highest punishment under the law.
On February 5, 2020, Udoh was charged with sexual assault by penetration, which the state preferred against him. He pled not guilty.
According to the prosecution counsel, I.D. Solarin, Udoh’s offence violated Section 261 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.
The court heard that the incident occurred on December 12, 2018, on the grounds of a well-known Pentecostal church in Ikeja, Lagos.
Udoh, who also worked as a housekeeper at the church, approached a sleeping child in the children’s section and sexually abused her. The victim’s mother reported the crime to the authorities, prompting Udoh’s arrest.
Justice Oshodi ruled that the crime committed was grave.
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He stated,
“The court carefully evaluated the evidence given throughout the trial, including the confessional statement, testimony of the victim and her mother, the IPO, and the medical findings. The offence he has committed is serious since it involves sexual exploitation of a vulnerable youngster. According to the judge, the victim continues to bear the consequences of the convict’s crime. He remarked,
“The consequences of your actions on the victim and her family cannot be emphasised. In her evidence, the victim’s mother indicated that three years after the incident, she was still transporting the victim to the hospital and that the victim was still receiving discharges.
“The victim, who was only five years old at the time of the occurrence, trusted you, and her mother placed her in your care. You violated that trust, most disgustingly, by sexually assaulting the youngster. Sexual assault by penetration is a serious felony punishable by life imprisonment under Section 261 of the Criminal Law,” he noted.
Justice Oshodi welcomed the convict’s plea for leniency, saying;
“I have examined other aspects such as the lack of previous convictions and your request for mercy and sentencing. However, the aggravating elements surpass all other circumstances.
“Having found you guilty of sexual assault by penetration, I now sentence you to life imprisonment in accordance with Section 261 of the Lagos State Criminal Laws
” You will serve this sentence in the maximum security correctional facility or wherever the Nigerian Correctional Service directs you.And your name will be added to the list of sexual offenders.”
