Lagos court hands man life sentence for defiling 11-year-old girl

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced Idris Ashimiyu to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of defiling an 11-year-old girl in Lagos State.

Justice Abiola Soladoye delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, after holding that the prosecution had proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt.

The court also ordered that Ashimiyu’s name be entered in the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register.

During the trial, the survivor, who was 13 years old when she testified, told the court that she knew Ashimiyu because he helped run errands and wash cars within their compound.

She testified that she was outside when Ashimiyu came upstairs, touched her inappropriately and sexually assaulted her.

According to her testimony, her grandmother discovered what had happened after going to look for her and finding her with the defendant. Ashimiyu was subsequently beaten before being taken to the police station.

The Lagos State Government prosecuted Ashimiyu on a one-count charge of defilement. He had pleaded not guilty to the allegation.

The prosecution, led by A.A. Adeniyi, called the survivor as its witness, while the defence counsel, A.O. Ayode, called a witness identified as Ibrahim.

Ibrahim told the court that he knew Ashimiyu and was aware of the reason for his trial but was not present when the incident occurred because he had gone to work. He said he learnt about the incident from a neighbour.

In her judgment, Justice Soladoye found the survivor’s testimony credible and consistent. She held that the evidence established that the girl was a child at the time of the incident and could not legally consent to the sexual act.

The judge ruled that the prosecution had established Ashimiyu’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt before convicting him and imposing the life sentence.