Cleaner sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing a baby in church

The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday sentenced 27-year-old cleaner Saviour Udoh to life imprisonment for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl on church premises.

Justice Ramon Oshodi found that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the convicted person had committed the offence of desecration. He stated that the accused’s act was reprehensible and deserved the maximum punishment prescribed by law.

Udoh was arraigned on February 5, 2020, on the state charge of sexual assault by penetration, but he pleaded not guilty.

According to the prosecution, ID Solarin, the offence committed by Udoh contravened Section 261 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.

The court heard that the incident occurred on December 12, 2018, on the premises of a well-known Pentecostal church in Ikeja, Lagos.

Udoh, who also worked as a cleaner in the church, approached the sleeping child in the children’s section and sexually abused her.

The victim’s mother reported the crime to the authorities, which led to Udoh’s arrest.

In passing sentence, Judge Oshodi found that this was a serious crime.

He said: “The court has carefully considered the evidence presented during the trial, including the confession, the statement of the victim, her mother, the IPO and the medical evidence. The crime he committed is serious as it is the sexual exploitation of a vulnerable child.”

According to the judge, the victim is still suffering from the consequences of the crime committed by the convicted man. He said: “The impact of your actions on the victim and his family cannot be overstated. In her statement, the victim’s mother stated that even three years after the incident, she still took the victim to the hospital and that the victim was still discharged.”

This statement underscores the long-term physical and psychological trauma inflicted on the child.

“The victim, who was only five years old at the time of the incident, trusted you and her mother entrusted her to your care. You abused that trust in the most heinous manner by sexually abusing the child. Sexual assault by penetration is a serious offence, punishable by mandatory life imprisonment under Section 261 of the Penal Code,” he said.

Justice Oshodi noted the convict’s clemency plea and said: “I have taken into account other factors such as the absence of previous convictions and your clemency plea and conviction. However, the aggravating circumstances outweigh all other circumstances.”

He sentenced the accused to life imprisonment for sexual assault by penetration and ordered that the convict’s name be registered on the Lagos State Sex Offenders Register.

He said: “Having found you guilty of sexual abuse by penetration, I now sentence you to life imprisonment as prescribed in Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State. You will serve this sentence in a maximum security prison or any other place designated to you by the Nigerian Correctional Service. And your name will be entered on the sex offenders register.”