Sexual Assault: Appeal Court upholds Baba Ijesha’s 5-year conviction

The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has upheld the 5-year jail term of actor Baba Ijesha.

Recalls that Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo (retd.) of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court had on July 12 2022, sentenced the actor to five years imprisonment over the sexual assault of a minor.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, Baba Ijesha appealed the judgement through his counsel, Kayode Olabiran.

Delivering judgment on the appeal, Justice Folashade Ojo on Thursday, June 27, 2024, set aside the appellant’s conviction on indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault of a minor between 2013-2014 describing the testimony of PW1 (Damilola Adekoya) as hearsay.

However, Justice Ojo found Adekoya’s eyewitness account for the April 19, 2021, incident credible, emphasizing that Baba Ijesha confessed to the crime in police statements.

The appellate court further affirmed Baba Ijesha’s imprisonment for the indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault from the April 2021 incident, noting that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court ordered as follows; “I affirm the conviction and sentence of the appellant to 5 years imprisonment for the offence of indecent treatment of a child contrary to section 135 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015 (count 4 of the charge).

“I also affirm the appellant’s conviction to 3 years imprisonment for sexual assault contrary to section 263 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011 (count 5 of the information).

“The sentences for counts 4 and 5 are to run concurrently”.

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