Richard Saviour was found guilty of sexually abusing his wife’s niece and giving her the HIV virus; the victim, who was 14 years old at the time of the incident, is not identified.
During the trial, State Counsel Mr. Ola Azeez called three witnesses to support the prosecution’s case, and Saviour, the defendant, testified in self-defense.
A High Court in Ikeja sentenced Saviour to life in prison.
On Tuesday, January 30, Justice Oyindamola Ogala handed down her decision in the case, noting that the victim’s account was corroborated by the State Ministry of Youth and Social Welfare’s PW3 social worker and the prosecution’s witnesses, all of whom testified in a consistent and truthful manner.
In her ruling, Justice Ogala concluded that the witnesses had successfully established the convict’s guilt for the crime of defilement.
As quoted by Arise TV, the judge said: “The testimony before the court clearly depicts the ‘evil’ perpetrated on this young girl and how she was abused both mentally and physically by the defendant and his wife for years.
“Revealing how she indeed ‘cried out’ for help and was betrayed by those who were supposed to help and support her.
“It is imperative to state at this juncture that the actions of the principal of PW2’s school and the social worker (PW3) are commendable, as same eventually brought some succour and relief to PW2, who unfortunately has been permanently ‘scared’.
“Having carefully considered the entirety of the facts before the court, it finds that in this instance, the prosecution has satisfactorily proved the one-count change the defendant is faced with.”
The judge mentioned that after the victim was taken to the Mirabel Centre by the police, she underwent testing and was diagnosed with HIV. She was then relocated to Mary’s Home Orphanage and received care with the assistance of Positive Action for Treatment Access, a non-governmental organisation.
Ogala stated that the accused was eager to disassociate himself from the accusation by refuting the charges. PW2 clearly recounted the events between her and the defendant, which the defendant contradicted.