Justice Monisola Abodunde of the Ado-Ekiti High Court has sentenced a 55-year-old father, Bashiru Adeyanju, to 14 years imprisonment without an option of fine for attempting to rape his own daughter.
Justice Abodunde found the convict guilty of attempting to rape the 17-year-old girl as the prosecution could not prove the case of serial rape levelled against the father.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Wale Fapohunda, who doubles as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice from the state’s Ministry of Justice, said that the convict committed the offences on September 10, 2017, at No 30, Irona Street, Ado-Ekiti.
He alleged that Bashiru, on the said date, unlawfully attempted to have sexual intercourse with his daughter, an act he started since the victim was ten years old. He stated that her father had always given her drugs to prevent pregnancy and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
Fapohunda added that the convict, whose wife had left him since the victim was ten, had always beaten the victim whenever she refused to allow him have sexual intercourse with her.
The offences contravened Sections 358 and 359 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C 16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
The prosecution called five witnesses and tendered exhibits including pictures, statements of the convict and the victim.
The defence counsel, Mr Yinka Opaleke, who called only a witness, pleaded for leniency and asked the court to tamper justice with mercy as his client was a first offender.
Delivering judgement, Justice Abodunde said after listening to both the prosecution and defense, the prosecution proved his case beyond reasonable doubt and established the case of attempted rape.
” The Court found you guilty as charged, but based on the plea of the defence counsel, describing you as a first offender, you are hereby sentenced to 14 years imprisonment,” she ruled.
The judge, however, said the three years the convict had already spent in prison should be subtracted from the jail term.