Native Doctor Jailed 10 Years For R3ping Married Woman

Native Doctor Jailed 10 Years For R3ping Married Woman

A 44-year-old native doctor, Olawale Ayeni, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour for raping a married woman.

Ayeni was convicted and jailed by Justice O.F. Enenmo of a Delta High Court sitting in Kwale, on Tuesday, March 22.

He allegedly had canal knowledge of the victim without her consent on July 11, 2020, at Irri, in Isoko South Local Government Area.

Consequently, he was arraigned on a count charge of rape punishable under Section 358 of the Criminal Laws of Delta State, 2006, to which he pleaded not guilty.

In the course of trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, tendered the confessional statement of the defendant and the medical report of the woman.

The court heard how the victim was in her house feeding her baby when Ayeni came and asked to see her.

The woman, the prosecution said, told the defendant to wait but he persisted, adding that as soon as she stepped out of her apartment to meet him, he blew a whitish substance on her face.

It said the woman stated that the only thing she remembered thereafter was finding herself at the man’s house, adding that he made incisions on her face and back with a razor blade, had canal knowledge of her and warned her against telling anyone including her husband.

The victim reported to her husband’s relatives as well as the community vigilante, who arrested and handed him over to the police for investigation.

But the defendant retracted the confessional statement he made at the police station, insisting he neither raped nor made incisions on the woman.

He claimed she usually brought customers to him for the preparation of traditional medicines and that she came to his house on July 8, 2020, requesting a charm to defraud men.

He said he charged her N28,000 which she was unable to pay, adding that she came back the next day and told him to use his money for it but he refused.

Delivering judgment, Justice Enenmo held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed Ayeni’s defence. The judge committed him to 10 years in prison with hard labour.

Ayeni has since been registered in the Delta State Sex Offenders Register and his details uploaded to the national database. This is in line with the provisions of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, 2020.