By George OPARA
The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced Pastor Chris Douglas, 63, to life for imprisonment for raping a church member’s daughter.
Presiding Justice Rahman Oshodi on Thursday held that Douglas, the General Overseer of Peculiar Generation Assembly Church, Oshodi, abused his position of authority and trust to exploit the victim.
Oshodi who described the conduct as a gross breach of trust said, “The convict occupied a position of spiritual authority and was regarded as a father figure by the victim and her family.”
He said instead of protecting that trust, the convict “betrayed it in the most reprehensible manner.”
The abuse, the court said occurred in a hotel on several occasions, noting that the victim and her family relied on the cleric for spiritual guidance.
The prosecution, Justice Oshodi said proved that the victim suffered severe psychological trauma as a result of the abuse.
“The court accepts the evidence that the victim suffered depression and recurring suicidal thoughts as a direct consequence of the cpnvict’s actions”.
But the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecution, Dr Babajide Martins, called five witnesses, including the victim, her mother, and a medical doctor.
Medical and documentary exhibits were also tendered in evidence.
The rape victim told the court that the cleric initially drugged and raped her in September 2017.
“I trusted him like a spiritual father. I never imagined he could do this to me”.
Also, her mother told the court that she confronted the convict after discovering the incident.
When I went to his church, he cried and said it was the work of the devil. He begged us in front of the elders”.
Later, Spear News gathered that the complainant reported the matter to a human rights organisation, the police at Makinde Division, and the Mirabel Centre for a medical examination.
The convict, however, denied the allegations and told the court that the relationship was consensual.
But Justice Oshodi rejected the claim, holding that the evidence before the court established rape beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The defence of consent is not supported by the totality of the evidence before the court, the court reviewed both oral and documentary evidence and considered objections raised by the defence under the Evidence Act, 2011.
As some documents were discounted for non-compliance, the court held that the oral testimony of the medical expert, Dr Maria Fadaka, remained admissible.
In his judgment, the court noted that although some alleged incidents were not sufficiently proved to have occurred before January 2018, the prosecution established rape in relation to incidents when the victim was already 18 years old.
Justice Oshodi sentenced Douglas to life imprisonment on each count, holding that the sentences shall run concurrently.
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