Our Reporter
A PUPIL with special needs has cried in court on sighting a school proprietor, who allegedly raped her six years ago.
The mild drama occurred at an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Lagos State, when the defendant, Timothy Onyiriuka, stood in the dock.
The pupil, who has speech impairment and learning difficulty, collapsed in the witness box on seeing Onyiriuka, 45.
She repeatedly said she did not want to see the suspect’s face.
Justice Abiola Soladoye had to tell the pupil to calm down.
The judge told the pupil that she had the option of coming to court on another date to give evidence.
“You can also testify as we go on, I can give you break if you need one.
“Do not be afraid; he is not coming for you; you are protected by God and the court,” the judge said.
Soladoye stood down the trial to enable the pupil calm down to give evidence.
After an hour, the case was announced in court and the pupil, after being counselled by an official of the Ministry of Justice, returned to the courtroom to testify.
Led in evidence by the state counsel, Mrs. Arinola Momoh-Ayokanbi, the pupil, now 19, narrated how Onyiriuka, also a pastor, allegedly defiled her.
She alleged: “I know him; his name is Pastor Timothy; he slept with me. He took me to his house three times, unzipped his trousers, removed his pants and put his manhood in my private parts.
“He came to my mummy’s house, he sat on a chair, held a cane and told me not to tell anyone.
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“He said if I told anyone, he would beat me and kill me. He slept with me once in my mummy’s house.
“The name of the school is Apex School, he is our pastor and the owner of the school.”
During cross-examination by defence counsel Mr. A. C. Abarah, the pupil alleged that some of the acts of defilement took place in the proprietor’s apartment.
She alleged that Onyiriuka was caught in the act by her mother when he defiled her in her bedroom.
“When my mother entered my room, I was naked. When she saw Pastor Timothy, she was shaking,” the witness said.
She said her mother reported the defendant to the police and she was taken to a hospital for medical examination.
Following the cross-examination, the prosecution announced that it was closing its case against Onyiriuka.
Justice Soladoye adjourned the case till February 24 for defence.
Onyiriuka is a resident of 8, Idowu Bale Street, Oke-Ira, Kekere, Ajah, Lagos, and the proprietor of Apex Schools, 12, Edomia Street, Power Line, Oke-Ira, Kekere, Ajah, Lagos.
He is facing a charge of defilement contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
The prosecution alleged that the proprietor, who has been remanded, defiled the pupil on October 21, 2013 when she was 13 years old.
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