A bricklayer, Edet Imoh, was on Wednesday sentenced to five years imprisonment for indecently assaulting a commercial sex worker, Ejiro Umukoro.
The convict was sentenced after Justice Sybil Nwaka of the Special Offences Court in Lagos found him guilty of two counts of rape and theft.
The offences were said to contravene the provisions of Section 361 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (revised).
The prosecutor, Mr B. T. Boye, had told the court that the convict committed the offence on March 11, 2017 around 1.30am on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to Boye, the convict met the complainant at Farm City, Lekki Phase 1, while he was having his lunch.
He added that the complainant and the convict exchanged pleasantries and agreed to have sex afterwards.
Boye added that the victim told the convict to pay her N50,000 before he could have sexual intercourse with her but later agreed to N40,000 after much plea by Imoh.
The convict said during trial, “We later took a taxi to Awolowo Road in Ikoyi in order to use my friend’s house, but unfortunately, he wasn’t around. I told Umukoro to go back but she refused and said l must pay her for bringing her out; so, we had sex somewhere around.
“We laid a wrapper on the floor and had sex, after which she demanded the N40,000, but l told her l had only N9,000 but she refused to collect it from me.
“She refused to collect the N9,000 and tried to hold my shirt but l ran away.”
Umukoro, in her evidence, faulted the convict’s account.
She said, “The defendant took me to an agreed place but on getting there, the gateman refused to open the gate, saying that the madam of the house was around. I told the defendant to call the taxi driver who brought us to come back and pick us, but he refused.
“Suddenly, the defendant attacked me from behind and tried to strangle me by pressing my neck till l fainted. He then raped me and stole my Blackberry Passport phone and Nokia phone, all valued at N131,000.
“On April 6, 2017, l got hold of the defendant at Farm City, Lekki Phase 1 and reported him to the police at the Maroko Police Station.”
Delivering her judgement, Justice Nwaka, who did not give the convict an option of fine, held that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others.
She said, “I find the defendant guilty of the offence of indecent assault; he is sentenced to five years imprisonment, which will commence from the date of sentencing.
“l hope that by the time you come out, you would have learnt your lessons to stay away from such an act and live happily with your family.”
The judge, however, urged the victim, Umukoro, to desist from prostitution as it was illegal and that the Lagos State Government was on the move to sanitise the state against such an act.
She said, “I, however, chastise the complainant and urge her to be of good behaviour.
“The state is using this opportunity to warn other intending offenders, those in the commercial sex trade and other perpetrators of sex offences to desist and have a rethink.
“Control yourselves from such offences because Lagos State frowns seriously on such acts.”
The convict was sentenced after Justice Sybil Nwaka of the Special Offences Court in Lagos found him guilty of two counts of rape and theft.
The offences were said to contravene the provisions of Section 361 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (revised).
The prosecutor, Mr B. T. Boye, had told the court that the convict committed the offence on March 11, 2017 around 1.30am on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to Boye, the convict met the complainant at Farm City, Lekki Phase 1, while he was having his lunch.
He added that the complainant and the convict exchanged pleasantries and agreed to have sex afterwards.
Boye added that the victim told the convict to pay her N50,000 before he could have sexual intercourse with her but later agreed to N40,000 after much plea by Imoh.
The convict said during trial, “We later took a taxi to Awolowo Road in Ikoyi in order to use my friend’s house, but unfortunately, he wasn’t around. I told Umukoro to go back but she refused and said l must pay her for bringing her out; so, we had sex somewhere around.
“We laid a wrapper on the floor and had sex, after which she demanded the N40,000, but l told her l had only N9,000 but she refused to collect it from me.
“She refused to collect the N9,000 and tried to hold my shirt but l ran away.”
Umukoro, in her evidence, faulted the convict’s account.
She said, “The defendant took me to an agreed place but on getting there, the gateman refused to open the gate, saying that the madam of the house was around. I told the defendant to call the taxi driver who brought us to come back and pick us, but he refused.
“Suddenly, the defendant attacked me from behind and tried to strangle me by pressing my neck till l fainted. He then raped me and stole my Blackberry Passport phone and Nokia phone, all valued at N131,000.
“On April 6, 2017, l got hold of the defendant at Farm City, Lekki Phase 1 and reported him to the police at the Maroko Police Station.”
Delivering her judgement, Justice Nwaka, who did not give the convict an option of fine, held that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others.
She said, “I find the defendant guilty of the offence of indecent assault; he is sentenced to five years imprisonment, which will commence from the date of sentencing.
“l hope that by the time you come out, you would have learnt your lessons to stay away from such an act and live happily with your family.”
The judge, however, urged the victim, Umukoro, to desist from prostitution as it was illegal and that the Lagos State Government was on the move to sanitise the state against such an act.
She said, “I, however, chastise the complainant and urge her to be of good behaviour.
“The state is using this opportunity to warn other intending offenders, those in the commercial sex trade and other perpetrators of sex offences to desist and have a rethink.
“Control yourselves from such offences because Lagos State frowns seriously on such acts.”
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