A 26-year-old man, Sylvanus Chidiebere, charged with an attempt to defile an eight-year-old girl was on Friday granted a N200,000 bail.

An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, which granted the bail, asked Chidiebere to provide two sureties as part of the bail conditions.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olufunke Sule-Amzat, ordered that the sureties should be gainfully employed and should show evidence of tax payments to the Lagos State Government.

The defendant, who gave no fixed address, is facing a charge of unlawful sexual harassment.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, ASP. Benson Emuerhi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 21 at 9.30 p.m. at No. 3 Adeoye St., Bolade Oshodi, Lagos.

Emuerhi said the defendant was arrested by the police after the case was reported by the victim’s mother at Akinpelu Police Station.

“It was later transferred to the Gender Section of the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, for further investigation,’’ he said.

The prosecutor said that the defendant had sexually harassed the girl (name withheld) by spilling his sperm on her cloth while trying to defile her.

According to him, the offence contravened Section 261 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

Section prescribes a three-year jail term for any offender.

NAN