15-yr-old in court for raping 8-yr-old girl twice

A 15-year-old, Joshua James, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja magistrate’s court in Lagos for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl, Precious Lawrence, at No 12, Bello Owolabi Street, Abule Oki in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos State.

The police said one Mercy Lawrence alleged that the suspect, who lives on the same street with the victim, was caught molesting the girl sexually.

The court heard that James allegedly raped Precious on September 5, 2017 and September 8.

But James, maintaining he was innocent, said, “I walked into the compound and met a little girl of eight years old playing. I asked her where her family was. I played with her and then left. I didn’t rape her.”

The prosecutor, Inspector Simeon Imhonwa, said the offence the accused allegedly committed is punishable under section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

When the charge was read to him, James, who is a Senior Secondary School student, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The presiding magistrate, Mrs. B.O, Osunsanmi, granted the accused bail in the sum N500,000, with two sureties, one of which must be a property owner with verifiable address.

Osunsanmi said the sureties must provide evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State government She adjourned the case to November 23, 2017.