Appeal Court Overturns Conviction Of Dr Olaleye For Defilement Of Minor, Frees Him

Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, the medical director of the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, was cleared and discharged by the court of appeal in Lagos.

The Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court’s ruling overturned the court’s ruling, which had handed Dr. Olaleye life in prison for defiling his wife’s 16-year-old niece.

Justice Olukayode Bada, who read the panel’s lead judgment, ruled that the trial court erred by convicting Dr. Olaleye based on “tainted” and “unreliable” evidence of his estranged wife, Oluremi, and the alleged survivor (names withheld).

Justices Folasade Ayodeji Ojo and Mohammed Ibrahim Sirajo were the panel’s other members.

READ ALSO: Dr. Olaleye’s case against the appeal court to render a judgment on Friday

The lower court should not have relied on the prosecution’s evidence because there were material contradictions in it, according to the appellate court.

The court also found fault with some of the prosecution’s other evidence during the trial, including those from a child forensic expert, a Mirabel center medical expert, and the investigating officer, who were all found to be “worthless.”

Justice Rahman Oshodi, the trial judge, also entered the courtroom and interacted with the proceedings to close what the appellate court called “the yawning gaps in the prosecution’s case.”

The court of appeal also questioned why the prosecution allegedly lacked credible witnesses, such as two family members, who allegedly witnessed the appellant’s alleged confession.

The court further emphasized that a trial within the trial should have taken place while the appellant was being held in police custody, especially since he claimed he had to go through the process under duress after six days of confinement.

Source: Channels TV