A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a 63-year-old cleric, Chris Douglas, to life imprisonment for raping a church member’s daughter.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, held that the convict abused his position as the General Overseer of Peculiar Generation Assembly Church, Oshodi, by exploiting the trust placed in him by the victim and her family.
The court described his actions as a serious betrayal of spiritual authority, noting that he was regarded as a father figure by the victim and her family but instead took advantage of that relationship.
According to the judgment, the offences occurred in a hotel on multiple occasions while the victim and her family relied on him for spiritual guidance.
Justice Oshodi also held that the victim suffered significant psychological harm, including depression and suicidal thoughts, as a result of the abuse.
During the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses, including the victim, her mother, and a medical doctor, alongside medical and documentary evidence.
The victim testified that the cleric initially drugged and raped her in 2017, stating that she trusted him completely due to his spiritual role in her life.
Her mother also told the court that the defendant admitted wrongdoing when confronted, attributing it to “the work of the devil” and pleading for forgiveness before church elders.
Although the defendant denied the allegations and claimed the relationship was consensual, the court rejected his defence, ruling that it was not supported by the evidence presented.
The judge noted that while some charges were not sufficiently proven, the prosecution successfully established multiple counts of rape beyond reasonable doubt.
Douglas was discharged on six counts of defilement and sexual assault but found guilty on three counts of rape. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently.
The court also ordered that his name be included in the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register.
