An Ado-Ekiti High Court, on Tuesday, sentenced a 20-year-old man, John Okebe, to life imprisonment for the rape of a four-year-old year girl in Ekiti community. Okebe, the state counsel, Mr Femi Onipede, had told the court, committed the offence on August 3, 2015 at Isaba Street, Ilupeju-Ekiti in Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

The prosecution had accused Okebe of unlawfully raping and defiling the four-year-old girl which, it said, led to grievous harm on the girl, so much that she was being hospitalised.

The offence, the prosecution had argued, contravened section 358 of the Criminal Code, Laws Cap C 16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

The prosecution called five witnesses to prove its case while the defense counsel, Mr Taiwo Adeloye called only the accused person as his witness.

The accused counsel urged the court to discountenance all the evidence of the prosecution, describing them as “feeble and porous.”

The state counsel had also urged the court to convict the accused person based on the evidence he had brought before the court.

Justice J O Adeyeye, in his judgment, said the confessional statement of the accused and other corroborative evidences of the prosecution reinforced the conviction.

Justice Adeyeye found the accused guilty as charged, and observed that the act of rape and defilement were rampant in the state.

He said the prosecution counsel had proved its case of rape beyond reasonable doubt, saying “I have carefully considered the evidence of the witnesses for the prosecution and that of the accused persons.

“I found the evidence of the prosecution credible and reliable,” he added.

Justice Adeyeye hereby sentenced the accused person to life imprisonment.