Man Sentenced to Three Years for Kissing Minor

On Thursday, July 7, 2023, a 25-year-old sales assistant named Simon Benjamin was sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl by kissing her without consent. The judgment was delivered by Justice Abiola Soladoy at the Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court.

The case arose when the survivor's mother discovered that her daughter was no longer a virgin and questioned her about the incident. The survivor recounted that on a Friday in July 2023, she had gone to a neighbor's apartment to retrieve her phone when Benjamin allegedly dragged her back into his apartment, closed the door, and assaulted her.

Despite the prosecution's inability to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, the court found Benjamin guilty of sexual assault. The charge was based on Section 263 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and the sentence was influenced by a plea bargain agreement.