The Ekiti State High Court sitting Ado-Ekiti has sentenced to life imprisonment a cleric with a Pentecostal church for raping a minor in the state.
The convicts, identified simply as Pastor Enoch, in charge of the church in Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government Areas of the state, were sentenced for raping the survivor in his residence.
It was gathered that the minor was the daughter of one of the church members who usually visits the cleric in his official residence to help his wife with housework.
The counsel of the Director of Public Prosecution, Julius Ajibade, said that “during one of her visits to the prison, the convict sedated a bottle of Fanta and offered her.
“The poor girl took the Fanta and slept off, only to wake up and find out that she was bleeding profusely from her private part.
“The convict was arrested and charged in court. He was charged with the offence of rape, contrary to Section 2 of the Genderr-Based Violence (Prohibition) Law, 2019.”
Ajibade, who prosecuted the case for Ekiti State, called four witnesses and tendered two exhibits to prove his case.
The convict spoke through his counsel, Adeyinka Opaleke, who gave evidence in his defence, as he called only one other witness.
In his judgement, Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi held that the prosecution proved the offence of rape against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge consequently convicted the defendant and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
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