Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court on Thursday slammed a 37-year jail term on Moses Joseph for defiling a minor.

Ms Taiwo, in her judgment, said that from the substantial evidence presented before the court, she found the defendant guilty of the crime.

The judge, after listening to the allocutus of the defence counsel, asked the defendant if he had anything to say to the court and he prayed for mercy.

“The substantial evidences are overwhelming. Therefore, I find the defendant guilty of all counts.

“I have listened to the allocutus for the defence and on the first count I sentence you to seven years imprisonment and on the second count, I sentence you to 30 years imprisonment which will run concurrently,” the judge said.

Earlier during the allocutus, defence counsel, Henry Obidinna, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and for a light sentence “as the convict was a first time offender.

He added that the convict had been cooperative since his arrest in September 2021 and had been remorseful.

Mr Obidinna said the convict was the breadwinner of his family and his younger brother died from shock when he heard of his arrest.

He added that the event had been kept away from the convict’s aged mother.

The Lagos State, which is prosecuting the case, did not object to the judgment.

The prosecution had alleged that the defendant, on September 17, 2021, about 11:00 p.m. indecently treated the minor by inserting his finger in her private part.

It said that the crime took place at No. 25, Kadiri St., Alausa, Ikeja, in contravention of Sections 135, 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

(NAN)