Efforts by Chrisland School ex-supervisor, Adegboyega Adenekan, to get off the hook of a 60-year jail term slammed on him over defilement has been dashed after Court of Appeal quashed his case and upheld judgement earlier delivered on the cases by the court.
The judgement came nine months after a Sexual Offences Court in Lagos sentenced Adenekan on a one-count charge of defiling a two-year- and- 11-month-old pupil in November 2016 at Chrisland School, Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos.
At the sitting on Monday, the Appellate court aligned with judgement earlier delivered by Justice Sybil Nwaka and affirmed the 60 years sentence given to the former supervisor as punishment for defiling a child kept in his custody.
Delivering judgement on the case, a three-man appeal court panel, headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit and affirmed the 60-year jail term imposed on the former supervisor by the high court.
The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions had told the trial court that Adenekan had “unlawful sexual intercourse” with the minor in November 2016 in Lagos in contravention of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
Earlier, Justice Nwaka, while convicting the 47-year-old ex-supervisor, held that the prosecution has proven its case of defilement against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt, contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The judge stated that the evidence from the child and medical reports proved that the accused had sex with the child twice inside the school premises.
“The little girl said that Adenekan covered her mouth when she attempted to shout. And that he (the defendant) defiled her twice inside the school premise; at his office and in the hallway.”
“I have no doubt in mind that this defendant, Adenekan is the same person the victim said to put his hand in her vagina, and therefore, the defendant is hereby convicted accordingly. The defendant is hereby sentenced to 60 years imprisonment,” she ruled.
