The Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court has sentenced a 22-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Wale Isaiah, to life imprisonment for defiling a 10-year-old hawker.
In her judgment, Justice Abiola Soladoye described Mr Isaiah as a “sexual lunatic” noting that the prosecution proved the charge of defilement against the convict beyond a reasonable doubt.
“This defendant, Wale Isaiah, is a sexual lunatic who took undue advantage of the poor victim who was hawking wares for her mother,” Mrs Soladoye said.
She said Mr Isaiah pretended to be a customer, dragged the victim into an uncompleted building, tied her up, blocked her mouth and defiled her “mercilessly”.
“He should have his name entered in the Sex Offenders Register of the Lagos State Government,” she said.
The judge, in her judgment, cautioned parents and guardians against sending their school-age children to hawk wares in the street because it leaves them vulnerable to sexual predators and abusers.
During the trial, three witnesses- the survivor, her father and a medical doctor from the Badagry General Hospital testified for the prosecution while the convict and his father testified for the defence.
According to the Lagos State prosecuting team members, the defendant committed the offence at about 7:25 p.m. on September 7, 2021, in the Magbon area of Badagry, Lagos.
The team said that the defendant defiled the survivor while she was on her way to supply sugar and salt on her mother’s orders.
The offence contravenes Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.