Doctor Explained How The Little Boy’s Mouth Was Covered, He Was Raped, And He Bleeded For Days

Medical doctor Edith Onovore told the Lagos State Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja how a 10-year-old rape victim she examined was gagged, raped and was still bleeding three days after the incident.

Onovore, who was a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of a man named Samuel Olaide for allegedly raping a minor, testified that there were blood stains on the survivor’s trousers and even the sanitary pad he was wearing was stained with blood.

Olaide is on trial before Justice Rahman Oshodi on a single charge of alleged unlawful defilement of the victim favored against him by the Lagos State government.

The prosecution told the court that the defendant committed the crime on April 19, 2022, at around 13:00 or 15:00 in an unfinished building.

The State maintained that the crime committed at Odorogba Street, Iragunshi Eredo, Epe, Lagos State, violated section 137 of the 2015 criminal code of Lagos State.

The first witness for the prosecution, led by the state prosecutor, Bukola Okeowo, as evidence in chief, told the court that when the victim was brought to the Epe General Hospital, he observed that the victim was calm and did not move in any way. all kinds of troubles.

When he examined the victim’s reproductive system, he discovered that her vagina was red, there were bruises on the outside of the vagina, and her hymen was missing.

The doctor, who said that he has been practicing his profession for 12 years and has been working at Epe General Hospital for 3 years, said that the victim told him that he was in his mother’s shop when Olaide, who lived in the neighborhood, came and dragged him. outside.

He said the victim told him that Olaide gagged her with a white handkerchief so she could not scream for help and then took her to an unfinished building where he raped her.

When Okeowo asked him to further explain his observation during the examination on the victim, Onovore said: “The general observation was that there was no sign of pain, the hymen was missing and the sanitary napkin he had brought with him was already soaked in blood and his trousers as well.

“Entering the vagina may cause the hymen to be missing; “Forcibly inserting the hand into the vagina can cause bruises and loss of the hymen,” he said.

The witness also told the court that he performed viral screening on both the victim and the accused to see if they were HIV positive.

“We also conducted screening to find out whether the rapist had HIV. Because the signs were there, her vagina was forcibly and brutally penetrated.

“There was repeated force trauma and a lot of bleeding.

“When asked if this was a normal thing they did in the hospital, he said: “Yes, we request that they bring them back to the police station.

“During the scan, he asked if he could see the defendant, he said he could not but confirmed that he was brought to their hospital for scanning.

The prosecutor asked what other steps he had taken after the investigation; He told the court he counseled the victim after the examination and praised her for coming forward to report the incident as most people did not do so.

Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Mandy Asagba, the witness said he took care of the victim on April 22, 2022, about three or four days after the incident.

He said the vaginal opening is bruised, which is not the usual way for victims to come forward in rape cases, but the vagina is a way to come forward. Onovore added that the way the vagina looks depends on duration and age.

“The younger the child, the more traumatic the vagina becomes due to its size. “In this case, the victim was 10 years old, the extent of the trauma was extensive; There was still blood and bruises by the time I examined him.

“The pad he used and his pants were soaked. “This means it will be worse than when she was raped,” she said.

When asked if he saw sperm in the vagina during the examination, he said no, “I didn’t know there was sperm in the vagina.

He also said the victim was awake, saw the person who raped her and was able to identify him.

Judge Ohodi adjourned the case to February 11, 2025 for further hearing.