Man Bags Life Imprisonment For Sexually Assaulting Wife’s 14-Yr-Old Niece, Infecting Her With HIV
Kemisola Oye
FOR sexually assaulting his wife’s 14-year-old niece and infecting her with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Justice Oyindamila Ogala of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja has sentenced a middle man, Richard Saviour to life imprisonment.
The judge while finding Saviour guilty as charged by the Lagos State government, held that the pieces of evidence provided by all the prosecution witnesses were collaborative and considered as the truth.
Justice Ogala also held that the testimony of the prosecution witnesses established the offence of defilement against the defendant.
While delivering judgment earlier today, the trial judge held that the pieces of evidence of the survivor correlate with the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), prosecution witness one (PW1) and Social Worker from the State Ministry of Youth and Social Welfare, PW3.
During trial, the prosecution counsel, Mr Ola Azeez called three witnesses to prove the prosecution’s case while the convict testified alone in his own defence.
Justice Ogala held the prosecution has satisfactorily proved the one count information filed against the defendant.
“The testimony before the court clearly depicts the ‘evil’ perpetrated on this young girl and how she was abused both mentally and physically by the defendant and his wife for years.
“She indeed cried out for help and was betrayed by those who were supposed to help and support her. It is imperative to state at this juncture that the actions of the Principal of PW2’s school and the social worker (PW3) are commendable as same eventually brought some succour and relief to PW2, who unfortunately has been permanently ‘scared’.
“Having carefully considered the entirety of facts before the court, I find that in this instance, the prosecution has satisfactorily proved the one count information the defendant stands faced with.
“The mien of the defendant was desperate to distance himself from the allegation by denying the offences. Again, PW2 succinctly narrated what she stated had transpired between herself and the defendant which the defendant denied.
“The defendant in his evidence before the court indeed narrated how PW2 (the survivor) had at one instance, after running from home to avoid a beating from his wife, ran to the station and he was subsequently informed that PW2 accused him of molesting her.
“The court finds that the totality of the testimony of the defendant who testified in his defence calling no additional witness is in essence a denial of the allegation without more.
“He offered no reliable explanations to the charge aside from attempts to depict PW2 as a stubborn girl and one who stole from himself and his wife,” the court held.
The trial judge further held that when the Police took the victim to the Mirabel Centre, she was tested and found to be HIV positive.
“She was transferred to Mary’s Home Orphanage and looked after with the help of Positive Action for Treatment Access, a non-governmental organisation.
“The Mirabel Centre record of PW2’s genital findings are that her hymen was absent with slight whitish vaginal discharge and concluded that the finding is consistent with repeated vaginal penetration which lends credence to the facts stated by PW2.”
The judge therefore found him guilty as charged, convicted the defendant on the charge of defilement by unlawful sexual assault and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the Correctional Centre.
Eighteen-Eleven Media
