The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday sentenced a 51-year-old utility officer, Ubregbo Parmer, to life imprisonment for defiling his colleague’s nine-year-old daughter.

Justice Abiola Soladoye held that the prosecution had sufficiently proven the charge of defilement against the convict.

“The evidence of the respective prosecution witnesses established the ingredients of the offence against the defendant, who was properly identified by the survivor. The survivor gave vivid and gory account of her ordeal in the hands of the defendant,” stated the judge.

The judge added, “I hereby find him guilty as charged of the one-count charge of defilement, and he is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment. The defendant should have his name registered in the sexual offence register as maintained by Lagos state.”

The judge further berated the survivor’s mother for being negligent in her care and allowing her child to be taken away by her male colleague without supervision.

“The need for proper and good parentage can not be undermined at this age and time where defilement and rape are the order of the day. Parents should be alive to their responsibilities,” stated the judge.

The state counsel, Olufunke Adegoke, presented two witnesses and two exhibits during the trial, while the defendant testified as the sole witness in the case.

Ms Adegoke submitted that the survivor’s mother brought her daughter to the office and left her to attend to other things when the convict quickly removed her pant and had sexual intercourse with her.

She said the convict committed the offence on December 10, 2019, in Magodo, Lagos.

(NAN)