Idowu Daniel, a 31-year-old teacher, has been sentenced to seven years in prison, Monday 20th September 2022 by an Ikeja Special Offences Court for sexually assaulting his 16-year-old student on school grounds.
The convict was charged with defilement.
Because the victim did not appear in court to testify, the judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of defilement against the convict.
She claimed that the defendant’s voluntary confessional statement revealed that he sexually abused the minor.
“The defendant admitted to have fondled the breast of the victim twice and tried to engage in sexual intercourse with her but he could not penetrate as she was a virgin.
“The defendant is hereby convicted on the charge of sexual assault of a child,” Justice Taiwo held.
When asked if he had anything to say, the convict pleaded for mercy in his allocution.
“My lord, I am very sorry for what happened. I promise it will not happen again,” the convict told the court.
The judge also chastised the defendant for caressing the victim in a provocative manner, saying that if the child had spoken in court, the defendant would have received a life sentence.
“You are a teacher and you were touching the breast of your student. You would have gone for life imprisonment if the victim had come to court to testify.”
Justice Taiwo, who had previously sentenced the convict to five years in prison, increased his sentence to seven years in prison without the option of a fine after learning that he had been in custody for three years.
The convict, who lives at the Abule-Egba area of Lagos, was tried for a charge of defilement.
Daniel was 28 years old when he committed the offence on June 27, 2019, at 9.25a.m.
He unlawfully had carnal knowledge of his student in the biology laboratory at Anastasia Comprehensive College, Abule-Egba, Ikeja.
He was remanded sometime in July 2019, by Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat, in Kirikiri Prisons.
