Court remands teenager for defiling 8-year-old girl

A teenager, 17, was on Wednesday sent to a remand home in Ikeja, for allegedly defiling an eight year-old girl.

The accused (name withheld) was ordered by an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court to be kept at an Ikeja remand home, for his failure to perfect his bail conditions.

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court presided over by Mr A.T Elias, granted the accused bail of N 100,000 after he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Elias ordered that the accused should produce two sureties as condition for the bail.

He adjourned the case to Oct. 24 for mention.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a detention home for juvenile offenders is between age of 8 and 17 years.

The accused, who resides at Dopemu area of Agege, Lagos, is being tried for defilement.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Rachael Donny, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 18, at his residence.

Donny said that the accused unlawfully had sexual intercourse with his eight-year-old neighbour.

“The accused defiled the victim by inserting his penis into her vagina,’’ he told the court.

Donny said that when the victim’s mother left home for work, the accused invited the girl to his apartment to come and watch television.

“The accused called the victim into his room to watch cartoon on television.

“When the girl entered, he laid her on his bed and open her two legs, the accused inserted his manhood into her private part and defiled her,’’ he said.

The prosecutor said that when the mother of the victim returned home, she noticed that her daughter was not walking properly.

“She also noticed blood stained on her clothes.

“The mother asked her daughter who slept with her and the girl told her that it was the accused,’’ he said.

Donny said the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

NAN reports that Section 137 provides life imprisonment to the offender if convicted.