55-year-old man jailed 60 years for raping minor
The Delta State High Court of Justice sitting at Orerokpe has sentenced a 55-year-old man, Collins Ika to 60 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl entrusted to him in the Ugolo community, Okpe Local Government Area of the state.
Penpushing reports the convict committed the offence between 2021 and 2022, while the mother of the girl testified that she entrusted the child and her siblings to the defendant, their neighbour, during her absence.
The girl later disclosed the abuse after complaining of persistent waist pains, and following a report to the police, the defendant fled but was later arrested in a sting operation facilitated by a human rights activist.
Penpushing further reports that the defendant was invited under the guise of a discussion for settlement and arrested when he arrived with ₦111,000, allegedly intended to hush the case, but during the trial, the defendant denied the allegations and called his wife as his only witness.
The prosecution, led by Miss Phoebian Onomakpome, an Assistant Director in the Delta State Ministry of Justice, had earlier told the court that the victim testified that the accused repeatedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of her and threatened to kill her if she opened up to anybody.
Penpushing also reports that the trial judge, Justice Joe Egwu, while delivering the judgment sentenced the defendant to 60-year imprisonment and equally ordered the convict to pay ₦50million as compensation to the victim.
The judge in addition, ordered the forfeiture of ₦111,000 brought by the defendant in an attempt to settle the matter out of court without the knowledge of the complainant, the police, or a human rights activist, to the Delta State Government.
Penpushing reports that Egwu held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt and accordingly sentenced him, stressing that the judgment should serve as a deterrent to others.
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