Driver bags life jail for raping 14-year-old girl

Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure and Romanus Okoye

An Ondo State High court sitting in Akure, the state capital, has jailed a commercial driver, Blessing Kingsley, for life for raping a 14-year- old girl and infecting her with hepatitis B.

The court presided over by Justice Bode Adegbehingbe ruled that all evidences before it proved that Kingsley was guilty of the one- count charge of rape leveled against him two years ago.

In another development, a 50-year-old man, Paul Nnadi, and his friend, yesterday appeared before Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court and remanded inKirikiri Correctional Centre, Lagos, over alleged raping of Nnadi’s 15-year-old stepdaughter.

The police charged Nnadi and his friend Ayobamidele Olaiya with conspiracy and defilement.

Chief Magistrate P.E. Nwaka, however, did not take their plea but ordered the police to return the case file to the Lagos Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice and adjourned the case until September 17, for mention.

Kingsley was alleged to have raped the victim in 2018 on her way home from her grandmother’s shop in Ondo town.

The court said it was able to establish that Kingsley drove the victim to his house under the pretext of making her greet his family and forcefully had sex with her when they got there.

Justice Adegbehingbe, in his ruling, said: “A report was immediately made at the Funmbi Fagun Police Station while a medical examination confirmed she was raped and even infected with hepatitis B by her rapist.”

He said Kingsley had through his action committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 358 of the criminal laws of Ondo State 2006.

The defendant, who was represented by a counsel from that Legal Aid Council, was the only witness for himself while the prosecution called four witnesses, including the victim.

A police officer, Olanrewaju Agbelusi, who arrested Kingsley, a photographer and medical doctor, Dr Jegede, subpoenaed to speak to the medical records.

The prosecution also brought to court as exhibit, the victim’s blood soaked underwears, photographs of the scene showing blood stained mattress, and her medical report after the incident among others.

Justice Adegbehingbe, therefore, convicted Kingsley on a count charge of rape and sentenced him to life imprisonment.