Romanus Okoye
A forensic expert, Dr. Oyedeji Alagbe, yesterday told the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, that medical examination conducted on a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly defiled by her father showed traces of forceful penetration.
Alagbe, who consults for the Mirabel Centre, an annex of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, told the court that when the victim was referred to the centre, he looked at her history and conducted medical tests on her, followed by treatment and counselling.
According to him, the victim said the perpetrator, Mr. Emmanuel Idoko, 35, a commercial motorcylist, returned from work one day and told her that people said she was no longer a virgin and he needed to confirm the truth with his finger and manhood.
“The girl said she resisted her father but he persisted and even ave her soft drinks, which made her sleepy the next day, as well as beat her up and gave her injuries on the thighs. He thereafter slept with her several times.
“It was while sleeping in the class one day that her class teacher noticed the abnormal sleep and, after much persuasion, she opened up to the teacher who reported it at Ketu Police Station, leading to the arrest of the father.”
Alagbe, on his medical findings, said: “Under general observation, she was calm, not looking pale, distressed or lowly dehydrated. She had scars on her laps. The inner part of her vagina had signs of redness. The opening of her anus was slack, revealing laceration.”
In his conclusion of the medical report, the doctor stated that the victim’s verbal declaration, the wounds on her thighs and anal-genital findings were evidence of previous and recent penetrations.
The prosecution tendered the police and doctor’s reports as evidence and the court accepted them as exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.
In his cross-examination, the defence counsel concluded that there was no proof that the defendant was responsible for the penetrations.
The presiding judge, Justice Sybil Nwaka, adjourned the matter till April 3 for continuation of trial.