By Adesakin Adefemi
The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on Thursday sentenced 63-year-old cleric Chris Douglas to life imprisonment for raping a church member’s daughter.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, who delivered the judgment, held that Douglas, the General Overseer of Peculiar Generation Assembly Church, Oshodi, abused his position of authority and trust to exploit the victim. He described the conduct as a gross breach of trust.
“The convict occupied a position of spiritual authority and was regarded as a father figure by the victim and her family,” the judge said. He added that instead of protecting that trust, the convict “betrayed it in the most reprehensible manner.”
The court found that the abuse occurred in a hotel on several occasions. Justice Oshodi noted that the victim and her family relied on the cleric for spiritual guidance and that the prosecution proved 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 convict’s actions,” he said.
During the trial, 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 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,” she testified. Her mother said she confronted the convict after discovering the incident and that he cried and begged in front of church elders, claiming it was the work of the devil.
The convict denied the allegations and told the court 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 judge ruled.
The court discharged Douglas on six counts of defilement and sexual assault but found him guilty on three counts of rape. Justice Oshodi sentenced him to life imprisonment on each count, ordering that the sentences shall run concurrently. The judge also directed that the convict’s name be entered into the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register.
“The law must protect the vulnerable, and this court will not hesitate to punish abuse of trust in the strongest terms,” Justice Oshodi said.
