A 34-year old alumnus of the University of Lagos, John Osagie Otema, was on Monday sentenced to 50 years of imprisonment for raping a 19-year-old student of the institution on campus.
The quantity surveyor and facilities manager who was tried for three counts of rape and assault on two female students, was sentenced by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, headed by Justice Abiola Soladoye.
He was found guilty on two-counts of rape and assault occasioning harm in respect of the rape of the 19-year-old student (Student X) and was, however, found not guilty on a charge of raping a 20-year-old student (Student Y) of the institution.
In convicting Otema of rape and assault occasioning harm of student X, Justice Soladoye noted that in addition to medical evidence and photographs tendered by the prosecution, student X had also identified the defendant as her assailant who bit her back and punched her eyes.
“For count-two (rape), the defendant is found guilty and is hereby sentenced to 50-years in prison as it the evidence adduced before this court has been proved beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution.
“With regard to count-three (assault occasioning harm) the defendant is found guilty and is hereby sentenced to three-years in prison as the prosecution has done its job diligently by proving the charge beyond reasonable doubt.”
The judge decried the spate of sexual violence committed against women and girls.
“This State of Excellence has zero tolerance for this sort of crime and the punishment meted out to the defendant will serve as a deterrent to other sex offenders that they too will be caught and brought to justice.
“Women and girls like every other member of the society should be respected and not be turned into prey by sex maniacs,” she said.
Earlier the defence counsel, Mr. Fred Onyeka, in his allocutus (plea for mercy) said that Otema is a young man with aged parents who also had his whole life ahead of him.
“What has happened will definitely truncate the prospects of his rise to the top of his career if my lord’s intervention in sentencing him does not happen,” Onyeka said.