According to the prosecution, Layole, who was 34 years old when the alleged offence was committed, baby through penile penetration of her private part.
Kehinde Layole, a 38-year-old Management Consultant, who is being since 2013 for allegedly defiling the two-year-old daughter of his neighbour, on Tuesday denied the charge before an Ikeja High Court.
Layole, who was led in evidence by his lawyer, said: “I did not defile the child, there was no time that I ever admitted to the mother of the child that I committed this offence.
“I want the court to discharge and acquit me of this charge.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the prosecution team led by Mr Akin George alleged that Layole, on Jan. 12, 2013 at his apartment in Igando, a suburb of Lagos, defiled the two-year-old toddler while babysitting her.
According to the prosecution, Layole, who was 34 years old when the alleged offence was committed, baby through penile penetration of her private part.
Layole, however, while being led in evidence by his counsel, Mr E.O. Clegg, gave a different account of what allegedly transpired.
“At midnight on Jan. 12, 2013, the mother of the complainant came to knock our door and said her daughter had a high temperature.
“She also discussed some personal problems with my wife and my wife gave her the necessary advice.
“Before she left, we gave her some paracetamol tablets for her daughter and advised that she should take the child to the hospital,” he said.
Layole told the court that at 8.00 a.m., the baby’s mother came to their apartment and dropped off her daughter with him because she had to go for shopping for her older children who were to resume school.
“My wife wanted to go to the hairdresser, so both her and my wife left together.
“The mother came back at 11.00 a.m., knocked on the door and I was in the living room with the child who was sleeping on the couch.
“I told her mother that she has been sleeping since she left but when the child heard her mother’s voice, she immediately woke up and walked to her mother.
“She picked up her daughter and they left the apartment.
“Thirty minutes later, I heard someone shouting in the direction of their flat and out of curiosity, I walked into their flat and the girl’s mother told me ‘uncle, I can’t believe that you did this, I am dumb struck.
“She also said that I can’t believe you slept with my child, I called my wife on the phone who immediately came home.
“My wife was told what happened and she said it was not possible and suggested that we take the child to the hospital for proper medical checkup,” he said.
Layole said that immediately, he and his wife left the apartment to pay his mother a visit and on return to the apartment, he was nearly mobbed by a large crowd which had gathered at the block of flats where he resided.
“Some people in the crowd tried to mob me, I had to tell them that they haven’t heard my side of the story.
“They said that they had gone to the hospital and results showed that the child was defiled.
“I suggested sample of my semen be taken from me to compare with the hospital results but the crowd became more agitated and we went to the police station.
“At the Igando Police Station, I was beaten up and I was forced to write a statement.
“I was arraigned on Jan. 14, 2013 at the Magistrates’ Court, the complainant and her mother were in the court.
“The baby was running around in the courtroom and the Magistrate asked if this was the baby that was allegedly defiled, when we answered in the affirmative, she immediately granted me bail,” he added.
NAN reports that four prosecution witnesses — the mother and uncle of the toddler as well as two medical doctors — have testified during the trial.
The mother of the child (name withheld), in her testimony, told the court that on Jan. 12, 2013, she gave her daughter to Layode to babysit while her and the defendant’s wife went out.
According to her, when she came back to the defendant’s apartment, she knocked on his door repeatedly, he claimed he was in the bathroom and it took him an hour to open the door.
She told the court that when she took her daughter to her apartment, she undressed her and noticed sperm on the child’s underwear.
The mother claimed she raised an alarm which led to the defendant being apprehended by neighbours and handed over to the police.
Dr Oriloye Rasheed, a medical doctor with 27 years experience, who examined the toddler on the day she was allegedly defiled, told the court that tests were conducted on samples taken from the child.
He said that the test results showed the presence of sperm cells in the child’s private part and that he directed that further tests should be conducted on the girl at the Igando General Hospital.
Dr Olawale Abidekun of the Igando General Hospital, also in his testimony, told the court that he conducted an examination on the child.
According to him, the there were blood stains on the child’s vulva and that her hymen was no longer intact.
The uncle of the complainant (name withheld), while testifying, claimed that Layole had allegedly apologised to him over the alleged defilement, stating that it was the devil’s handiwork.
The uncle had added that the defendant’s family had also allegedly apologised on behalf of Layole.
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye adjourned the case until June 27 for continuation of trial.
NAN reports that the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 as revised in 2015, prescribes a life imprisonment for offenders.
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