A 15-year-old girl, has narrated to the Chief Magistrate Court how a 20-year-old man, Stephanus Stephen, overpowered her and forcefully raped her twice in her father’s living room, in Ondo town, Ondo state.
The teenager said the accused person forcefully raped her twice at her father’s house between February and May 2022 at No 5 Morolayo street, Valentino in Ondo.
She told the court that ” l was asleep in my family’s living room when Stephen came to meet me and started touching me, I was scared. So, I started shouting, but nobody was around. It was just myself and him in the house.
“He forced himself on me and raped me. He was stronger than me. He also told me not to talk and that if I should tell anyone, he would kill me. I was very scared to tell anybody because of his threat.
“Around May again, he threatened me that if I did not cooperate with him, he would kill me and my sister.
” I was crying and I could not do anything, So, I cooperated with him. Thereafter, I had to tell my mother and she got him arrested.
“He was the one who deflowered me on the first day he raped me because it was painful and I saw blood on my private part.”
Meanwhile, police prosecutor, Benard Olagbayi, had informed the court that the convict molested the victim on different occasions.
The charge read in part, “That you, Stephanus Stephen, between February and May 2022 at No 5, Morobayo street, Valentine, Ondo in the Ondo Magisterial District did unlawfully have carnal knowledge of a 15-year-old girl (names withheld) and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 221(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Volume 1 Law of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.”
Police prosecutor, Olagbayi, therefore, prayed the court to sentence him according to his plea, as he was not legally represented in court.
The convict pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and forgive him.
In his verdict, the presiding Chief Magistrate, Mrs Charity Adeyanju, found the defendant guilty and convicted him accordingly.
Adeyanju, therefore, sentenced the convict to 12 months imprisonment without an option of a fine.