An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday sentenced a 43-year-old electrician, Chukwukweike Ashiedu, to seven-year imprisonment for indecently assaulting his 17-year-old daughter.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, while handing down the sentence, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt.
According to him, the aggravating factors in the case are severe because the victim is not only a child, but the convict’s daughter.
Justice Oshodi stated that the convict presented a profound breach of trust and violation of his duty as a parent to protect and nurture his child.
He said, “Your position as a father should have been to protect and care, not to exploit and abuse. Your admission of rubbing your manhood on your daughter’s buttocks for your sexual gratification is utterly devastating.
“This act demonstrates a gross disregard for her bodily autonomy, her dignity, her rights to a safe and nurturing home environment. Such behaviour of a parent toward a child is not only criminal but morally repugnant and psychologically damaging.”
The judge further stated that the convict’s action must have caused immeasurable harm to the child, noting that the full extent of damage to the girl might not be apparent now.
“Considering all these factors, I hereby sentence you to the maximum term of seven years imprisonment. The sentence will commence from the day of your remand, Feb. 27, 2019,” he ordered.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict was also charged with defilement but the court held that the prosecution failed to prove that there was an act of penetration.
NAN reports that indecent treatment of a child violates Section 135 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015. (NAN)
