16th March, 2023
By Deborah Akpede
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has hailed a court judgment sentencing a man, Stephen Francis, to life imprisonment for defiling an 11-year-old girl.
This is contained in a statement posted on Thursday on its official Twitter handle, monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
It said that the sentence represented a significant victory in the fight against sexual offences and domestic violence.
DSVA noted that the defilement case, which involved the Primary Four pupil, was prosecuted at the Lagos State Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court, presided over by Justice Abiola Soladoye.
DSVA said that the defendant committed the offence on Aug.12, 2020 on Fagbenro Street, Idi-Araba, Mushin, and was convicted on Wednesday.
“The court found the defendant guilty of the one-count charge of defilement as the prosecution sufficiently established the three essential ingredients of the offence against him.
“The defendant lured the girl into his house with the pretext of running an errand for his wife.
“He had sexual intercourse with her, which she promptly reported to her mother.
“The mother upon examination discovered sperm from her daughter’s private parts, confirming her account,” it said.
The agency said that the court ordered that the defendant’s name be registered in the sexual offence register, maintained by the state.
According to DSVA, the sentence will serve as a warning to perpetrators that justice will always be served.
It said that defilement contravenes section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The agency reiterated the state’s zero-tolerance stance while restating its commitment to helping survivors of sexual offences and ensuring perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.
It urged victims of domestic and sexual violence to speak up and report cases by calling the agency’s toll-free line 08000333333.