Saviour Udoh, a 27-year-old cleaner, was given a life sentence by the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl on church property.
Judge Ramon Oshodi ruled that the prosecution had established beyond a reasonable doubt the convict’s charge of defilement and that the defendant’s actions were repugnant and entitled to the harshest penalty permitted by law.
On February 5, 2020, Udoh entered a not guilty plea to a charge of sexual assault by penetration that the state had preferred against him.
Section 261 of the Lagos State 2015 Criminal Law was broken, according to prosecution attorney I.D. Solarin, by Udoh’s crime.
The court heard that the incident occurred on December 12, 2018, on the premises of a prominent Pentecostal church in Ikeja, Lagos.
Udoh, who also worked as a cleaner at the church, approached the sleeping child in the children’s department and sexually assaulted her.
The victim’s mother reported the crime to the authorities, leading to Udoh’s arrest.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Oshodi held that the crime committed was a grave one.
He said, “The court has carefully considered the evidence presented during the trial, including the confessional statement, the testimony of the victim, her mother, the IPO, and the medical evidence. The crime he has committed is a grave one as it involves sexual exploitation of a vulnerable child.”
According to the judge, the victim is still suffering from the effects of the crime committed by the convict. He said, “The impact of your action on the victim and her family cannot be overstated. In her testimony, the victim’s mother stated that she was still taking the victim to the hospital three years after the incident and that the victim was still having discharges.
This statement highlights the long-lasting physical and emotional trauma inflicted upon the child.
“The victim who was only five years old at the time of the incident trusted you, and her mother entrusted her in your care. You breached that trust, most disgustingly, by sexually assaulting the child. Sexual assault by penetration is a serious offence that attracts a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment under Section 261 of the Criminal Law”, he stated.
Justice Oshodi acknowledged the convict’s plea for mercy, saying, “I have considered other factors like the lack of previous convictions and your plea for mercy and sentencing. However, the aggravating factors outweigh any other circumstance.”
He convicted the defendant on the one-count charge of sexual assault by penetration and sentenced him to life imprisonment, ordering that the name of the convict should be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.
He said, “Therefore, having found you guilty of sexual assault by penetration, I now sentence you to imprisonment for life as mandated by Section 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State. You will serve this sentence in the maximum security custodial centre or wherever the Nigerian Correctional Service may direct you. And your name will be added to the register of sex offenders.”
