A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced former teacher Nwatu Isaac to life imprisonment for defiling an eight-year-old pupil at El-Bossaa Nursery and Primary School in Epe.
According to The PUNCH, Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the judgment on Tuesday. He ruled that the prosecution proved the offence beyond reasonable doubt.
The court also ordered that Isaac’s name be entered in the Sex Offenders Register in line with the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law.
Court rejects Isaac’s denial
Isaac had denied committing the offence. He claimed he only went to the school gate on March 10, 2022, to pick up pupils he transported on his motorcycle.
However, the judge held that his own evidence placed him at the school at the time of the incident. Furthermore, the child consistently identified him as the person who assaulted her.
Justice Oshodi also rejected Isaac’s defence of alibi. He noted that Isaac did not claim to have been somewhere else when the offence occurred.
“The prosecutrix’s evidence places him inside the premises. The defence of alibi therefore does not avail him,” the judge held.
Victim’s testimony found credible
The court found the child’s testimony clear, detailed and consistent despite lengthy cross-examination.
Justice Oshodi said the prosecution also presented supporting evidence from the girl’s mother. In addition, a medical doctor examined her after the incident.
The judge rejected the defence argument that the absence of DNA or sperm testing weakened the case. He held that the medical evidence supported the prosecution’s account.
The court also dismissed claims that the child may have been abused by someone else, describing the suggestion as speculative.
Court dismisses defence evidence
Justice Oshodi rejected an audio recording tendered by the defence in which a teacher claimed the child later described the incident as a dream.
The judge held that the child’s later statement could not be treated as reliable. This was because of the manner in which she was questioned.
The court also rejected a survey report introduced by the defence to challenge the prosecution’s description of the school toilet.
Justice Oshodi noted that the survey was conducted more than three years after the incident. He also said that witnesses gave conflicting accounts about the facilities at the school.
Isaac sentenced to life imprisonment
During sentencing, the judge said Isaac abused the trust placed in him by the child and her family.
The court noted that Isaac had previously taught the pupil. He was also trusted by parents in the community to transport their children.
Justice Oshodi said the court had a duty to protect children. He stressed the importance of ensuring that sexual offences against them attracted the full weight of the law.
Isaac was consequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
The court also directed prosecutors to take steps to ensure protection and support for the victim and her family under the Victim Assistance and Witness Protection Law.
