An Ado-Ekiti high court has imposed a life sentence on Taiwo Ajayi, a secondary school principal in the state, for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl.
Ajayi reportedly lured the girl into his office, locked the door and raped her on the table while covering her mouth with a cloth.
Oluwatoyin Abodunde, who gave the verdict, said the principal was guilty as charged.
Abodunde rejected the convict’s counsel’s plea for leniency on grounds that he was a first offender, father and breadwinner of an aged mother.
“The prosecution has proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt on the strength of evidence placed before the court,” he said.
“The cases of child defilement has been on the increase lately and to serve as a deterrent to others, my view is that
the punishment stipulated by the lawmakers was deliberate to deter the offence and protect the right to dignity of the child.
“The defence counsel is pleading for leniency and praying for fine instead of the due punishment. My question is: ‘who pays the victim for the life-time scar or the trauma and torture of rape?’
“I am unable to deviate from the provisions of the law in this instance; the defendant is found guilty as charged and sentenced to life imprisonment.”
At the time of committing the crime, the vice-principal (academics) at St. Mary’s Girls Grammar School, Ikole-Ekiti.
He was suspended from the civil service to face the consequences of his action, which he allegedly committed on March 18, 2014.
Two teachers were said to have stormed the vice-principal’s office but could not gain entry until after about 30 minutes and caught him red-handed.
At the arraignment on October 14, 2016, Ajayi had pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution called eight witnesses, including a medical practitioner from the State University Teaching Hospital,
police officers who investigated the case, two other pupils and a teacher in the school.
Exhibits tendered include a medical report, statement of the accused, report of the panels set up by the school authorities and Teaching Service Commission, medical report from the police clinic, statement of the victim, among others.
The two panels set up to investigate the case indicted Ajayi which led to his suspension from service after which he was arrested and prosecuted. - Cable Nigeria
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