DR. OLALEYE: WITNESS FAULTS EXPERT’S REPORT, SAYS NO EVIDENCE THAT SURVIVOR WAS DEFILED
By Aishat Momoh. O.
An expert witness has criticized the medical report written by a doctor at the Mirabel Center regarding the evaluation of an 18-year-old who was allegedly defiled by Femi Olaleye, a medical doctor in Lagos.
A Sexual Offences Court in Ikeja was informed by Uwom Eze that the medical report’s information was inadequate to prove the crime of sexual assault.
Dr. Oyebimpe Akinbunmi of the Mirabel Center, a sexual assault referral center, testified in court in January 2023 on behalf of the Lagos State Government that she had examined the alleged victim of Dr. Femi Olaleye and discovered injuries that were consistent with repeated, forceful, and blunt penetration of the 18-year-old’s genitalia.
She did, however, admit that she is unsure of who is responsible for the claimed sexual abuse of the patient, a niece of the defendant’s wife. He is accused of frequently defiling minors between 2020 and 2022 (names withheld).
Another expert witness was called to the stand on Wednesday, this time by the defense. Uwom Eze, head of the forensic medicine unit at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, said he was asked to review the medical report that the prosecution is relying on and that has been admitted as an exhibit in the trial while being questioned by the lead defense attorney, Olusegun Fabunmi (SAN).
He testified before the court that, after reviewing it, he discovered that the report did not adhere to the international best practices established by the World Health Organization (WHO) for examinations of this nature.
He claimed that the examiner failed to consider the “significance of her findings,” which included the fact that the survivor’s vaginal wall looked excessively visible.
Additionally, the defendant is alleged to have told the victim to perform oral sex on him and to give her pills to use after defiling her, according to the survivor, who claimed that the defendant did so on four separate occasions. The defendant is also alleged to have given the victim pills to use after defiling her, according to the survivor.
Dr. Eze further stated that there were no findings in the report that were compatible with blunt force penetration, such as “bruises or lacerations.”
He added that the report was inaccurate because there was no proof that the patient had undergone DNA testing for Hepatitis or STDs or vaginal swabs.
He adds that three days after the act was committed was the best time to submit such cases for the required examination.
Despite the State’s protests, the judge accepted two documents submitted by the defense, including the witness report.
During cross examination led by State counsel, Babajide Boye, the witness said his services to the defense were free of charge, on the basis of public interest, and that he had never met the defendant before.
Another witness, Oladehinde Bakare, testified to being a close friend of Dr Olaleye and his wife. He said his two daughters who had close contact with the defendant over the years never complained about his conduct and that he didnāt believe Dr Olaleye could commit the alleged crimes.
During cross examination, he says he never met the alleged survivor. He admitted knowing the defendantās first wife, Folake Ajanaku, but denied she had filed a similar sexual assault complaint against him in the United Kingdom.
Further hearing is fixed for April 26.