A 20-year-old man, Seun Olarewaju, has been sentenced to 30 months imprisonment by a High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, for having unlawful carnal knowledge of a 3-year-old girl.
The convict was arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Familoni on June 6, 2022, on one count of r*pe.
According to the charge, Olarewaju, on August 6, 2021, at Ado Ekiti within the jurisdiction of the court did r*pe a three years old girl, contrary to section 31(1) of the Child Right Law, Cap C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, NAN reports.
In her evidence before the court, the victim’s mother said, “I was not around, I did not know what happened until the following day when I was bathing my daughter, she did not allow me to wash her private part.
“When I checked, I saw it was red and swollen. I was so scared. When I asked what happened to her bum bum, she repeatedly said, it was Seun.
“Thereafter, I heard Seun’s mother and my mother-in-law fighting outside, it was then I had a true picture of what happened; my brother-in-law narrated what transpired between Seun’s mother, my mother-in-law and my daughter
“I reported the matter to the police who later took over the matter.”
To prove his case, the prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemo called three witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statement, pictures of the victim and defendant, and medical report among others as exhibits.
The defendant spoke through his counsel Luke Ekene, he prayed court to temper justice with mercy and called four witnesses.
Delivering his judgement, Justice Familoni said, “I believe the defendant as a young person deserves a second chance to redeem himself and be a good citizen. He cannot do that if I sentence him to life imprisonment.
“Therefore, I am inclined to temper Justice with mercy to afford him an opportunity of redemption.
“Therefore, the defendant, Olarewaju Seun is sentenced to 30 calendar month imprisonment without an option of fine, the sentence is to run effectively from Sept. 20, 2021, when he was rearrested by the police and kept in detention.”
