…case adjourned till Oct 27
An Investigative Police Officer (IPO), ASP Babatunde Ashifat, on Tuesday told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court how one Jelili Lawal allegedly raped a 78-year-old woman to death.
Ashifat was led in evidence by Lagos State counsel, Ms Bukola Okeowo, at the resumed trial of Lawal for rape.
The witness said that he was assigned the case for investigation on Jan. 2, 2019.
He testified that two ladies, who saw the defendant raping the septuagenarian, called the attention of a policeman on night patrol.
The witness said that the old woman was with the defendant on Jan. 1, 2019, at Maryland Bus Stop in Lagos State, where she told him to help her to locate her residence.
He said: “The defendant gave her N500, and they boarded same bus.
“On getting to a bus stop, the defendant told her to come down, took her to an uncompleted building in a bushy area, assaulted and raped her at night.
“The victim was crying for help when two ladies heard her and caught the defendant in the act.
“They helped the woman by calling the policeman on patrol.”
The witness further told the court that the victim, who had problem with her ears, had been declared missing by her family.
The IPO said the woman sustained injuries from the rape and later died from excessive bleeding.
“The victim was bleeding from her anus and vagina, and I gave a medical form for her to be taken to the Mirabel Medical Centre.
“The medical doctor, who examined her, confirmed that there was a forceful penetration into her vagina.
“I was later told that the victim died due to the bleeding,” the witness said.
The IPO also said that, after the report was made, he recorded statements of the victim and the defendant.
He further said that he visited the scene of the crime, which was bushy and abandoned.
Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case until Oct. 27 for the continuation of trial.
