Kemisola Oye
A Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja today convicted and sentenced the embattled Medical Director of Optical Cancer Care Foundation, Dr Olufemi Olaleye, to double life imprisonment for defiling 16-year-old wife’s niece.
Justice Rahman Oshodi held that the prosecution proved the two counts of defilement and sexual assault by penetration against Dr Olaleye.
Oshodi held that the evidence adduced before the court against the defendant was compelling and proven beyond reasonable doubt.
According to him, the confessional statement of the defendant which he made before his lawyer, Mr Olalekan Buruji, (former lawyer) and the DPO of Anthony Police Station that he regretted his act proved that he committed the offences.
He said that the oral statement which the defendant denied, had the NBA seal of Buruji on it and his denial did not hold water.
According to the court, Dr Olaleye is a dangerous offender who should be ashamed of himself as he did not show any sign of remorse.
The judge added that the convict began to groom the survivor during the COVID-19 lockdown
He said: “The survivor, to your knowledge, was a child but you forced her to watch pornography, rub her breast, and put your penis in her mouth.
“You penetrated her and there was blood in which you did it repeatedly.
“You acknowledged that you are a sex addict in your extra-judicial statement but came to this court and told lies.
“You showed no remorse at sentencing and it shows that you are a dangerous man.”
According to the court, the convict is a dangerous man to society who should be locked away from the people.
Justice Oshodi thereafter sentenced him to life imprisonment each on the two-count charge which would run concurrently, regardless of the allocutus from his lead defence counsel, Mr Adebisi Oridate.
“By the laws of Lagos State, I am compelled to hand you a sentence of life imprisonment on each count of your offence.
“But your defence counsel has said that you are a first-time offender and that you are a doctor of cancer patients who is in partner with Lagos State.
“I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment on both counts one and two of defilement and sexual assault by penetration, which should run concurrently,” the court ruled.
The judge added that Dr Olaleye should have his name registered in the Sexual Offenders Register as maintained by the Lagos State government.
Earlier, the lead defence counsel, Barrister Oridate, in his allocutus, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy as the convict was a first-time offender who offered public service and had cancer patients to care for.
Oridate said: “He is a medical doctor who offers services to people who suffer from cancer-related ailments, especially women from Lagos State and Nigeria.
“The state recognises his services and the defendant is a first-time offender, my lord.
“He has lost his business because he has been incarcerated and of course, his family.
“He has lost his means of livelihood and he has an aged mother who is solely dependent on him. We pray your lordship to temper justice with mercy.”
However, the Director of Public Prosecution(DPP) Dr Babajide Martins, urged the court to sentence Olaleye on a mandatory sentencing as maintained by the law of Lagos State.
“We urge the court to give the convict a mandatory sentence and also have his name registered in the sexual offenders register as maintained by Lagos State,” Martins said.
The prosecution had during trial established that the convict sexually assaulted the survivor by penetrating her vagina, releasing sperm into her mouth with his penis for about 19 months until the wife discovered and reported it to the police.
The state called six prosecution witnesses to testify against the convict while the defence called three witnesses.
His offences contravened the provision of sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
Eighteen-Eleven Media