The Children, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Court sitting at the High Court of Awka, Anambra State, has convicted and sentenced a 27-year-old final-year Mass Communication student, Wisdom Edem, to 25 years’ imprisonment for rape.
The charge sheet marked No. A/3C/2024, obtained by our correspondent in Awka on Friday, indicated that the court was presided over by Justice Peace Otti on Wednesday.
Justice Otti found the defendant guilty on three counts of rape, sexual abuse and inflicting injury on a 10-year-old girl.
The prosecution was led by the Principal State Counsel of the Anambra State Ministry of Justice, Chinelo Akorah, who called six witnesses and tendered compelling documents, including the confessional statement of the defendant and the medical report.
During the prosecution, the 10-year-old victim told the court in vivid detail how the convict deceived her into coming to his house for a ‘comedy skit’, according to the court record.
The court record said, “The victim said she had acted with the defendant and others before, so she went with her younger sister. On arrival, the defendant sent the younger sister home to get a change of clothes for PW1, then asked her to go into his room where ‘others were waiting’.
“Inside, she met no one. He locked the door, defiled her, and she began to bleed. The medical doctor who examined her that same day testified in court and confirmed the bleeding and injuries.”
The defendant, in his defence, denied any wrongdoing and claimed the victim seduced him.
However, the court dismissed his claim that the child “seduced him.”
The defendant alleged that the girl removed his clothes, inserted his penis into her vagina and screamed.
He also claimed she told him she was 14 and had a boyfriend.
“The court rejected this, noting that the presence of blood proved she was a virgin.
However, the judge, in her ruling, held that a child was not capable of giving consent under the law.
The court, therefore, described the act as premeditated and carefully planned.
“Worse still, he was not even paying the child for the so-called comedy skit. To add salt to injury, he raped her.”
The judge held that PW1’s account was fully corroborated by the defendant’s confessional statement, which admitted that the victim came to his house with her younger sister.
The prosecution’s case was further strengthened by the testimonies of PW2 to PW6, including the police officer and vigilante who arrested the defendant.
The defendant, who was on bail and was present in court for his trial, was absent on the day of judgment.
She immediately issued a bench warrant for his arrest and ordered that he be declared wanted, with his photographs circulated to the police and on the internet.
Edem was further ordered to pay a fine of N200,000 as compensation to the victim for the physical injury inflicted on her.
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