An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a 30-year-old barber, Rasaq Akinyemi, to nine years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Akinyemi had in a plea bargain agreement pleaded guilty to an amended two-count charge of indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault.

Justice Rahman Oshodi convicted Akinyemi after he entered a guilty plea.

Oshodi, while delivering the judgment, held that the offences for which Akinyemi had entered a plea bargain agreement were serious and had caused significant harm to the young survivor, who trusted him as a family member.

He, however, said that the convict expressed genuine remorse for his actions.

The judge said: “You have explained while in custody that you have made commendable efforts to rehabilitate yourself, learning the trade of barbing and pursuing your studies. Your active participation in the Muslim society, where you served as one of the imam, demonstrates your efforts to reform and maintain a spiritual connection. Your expression that you do not want to be useless but rather want to be useful to society demonstrates insight into the need for personal transformation. The prosecution has rightly emphasised the aggravating factor that you were in a position of trust as a relative to the victim.”

The court further held that it had carefully weighed all factors, including the severity of the offences, breach of trust, guilty plea, genuine remorse and concrete steps toward rehabilitation.

“I am persuaded to order that you serve 90 per cent of the agreed-upon 10-year sentence, which translates to nine years. Accordingly, I sentence you to seven years imprisonment on count one, and two years on count two. The sentences shall run consecutively for a total of nine years, computed from June 26, 2020, when you were first remanded in custody,” Justice Oshodi held.

The court further ordered that the convict’s name be registered in the Sexual Offences Register of Lagos State.

Akinyemi was earlier arraigned on a two-count charge of defilement and indecent treatment of a child, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The State Counsel, Olufunmilayo Aluko, called two witnesses: a medical officer and an investigative police officer. Through the latter, the confessional statement of the convict was tendered, and it was not objected to by the defence.

Ms Aluko told the court that the convict committed the offences on June 25, 2020, at No.13 Shiaba St., Agege, Lagos.

She submitted that the convict indecently treated the survivor by removing her clothes and looking at her private parts.

The prosecutor informed the court on January 30 that the parties entered a plea and sentence agreement.

According to the prosecutor, the offences violate Sections 135 and 263 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

(NAN)