An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has sentenced a man, Seun Ayeni, to life imprisonment for raping his neighbour’s 13-year-old niece.

The culprit, who is a welder, was arrested by the personnel of the Ondo State Police Command for raping the victim at the Oke Aro area of the town in March 2017.

The convict was said to have waylaid the victim on her way to the toilet and lured her into his room, where forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.

During the trial, the convict denied raping the girl, saying the victim’s aunt wanted to implicate him as a result of a disagreement between them.

Delivering his judgment, the trial judge, Justice Samuel Bola, held that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were genuine, while Ayeni’s testimony was unacceptable.

The judge noted that the examination conducted by a medical doctor confirmed that the victim was raped.

The court also stated that the prosecution had proved its case against the convict beyond reasonable doubt and thereby found him guilty of the offence.

Having found him guilty, the judge sentenced Ayeni to life imprisonment.