Girl drugged and raped by ‘father figure’ pastor – ‘work of the devil’ | World | News
A clergyman was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping the daughter of a church member. 63-year-old Chris Douglas was accused of drugging and raping a young girl in Lagos, Nigeria.
The man, who had raped the girl several times in a hotel, was in court on six counts of defilement and sexual assault and three counts of rape. His family often went to Douglas, General Overseer of the Peculiar Generation Assembly Church, for spiritual guidance. The victim told the court: “I trusted him like a spiritual father. I never thought he could do this to me.” She was left with severe psychological trauma and depression, with “recurrent suicidal thoughts as a direct result” of the rapes. When her mother learned what had happened, she went to confront Douglas: “When I went to his church, he cried and said it was the devil’s work. He begged us in front of the elders.” The rapes were reported to the police, healthcare workers and human rights organizations.
Judge Rahman Ohodi said Douglas abused his position of authority and trust to exploit the teenager. He said: “The prisoner was in a position of moral authority and was viewed as a father figure by the victim and her family. Instead of maintaining that trust, (Douglas) betrayed her in the most heinous way.”
The prosecution, led by director of prosecutions Dr Badajide Martins, called five witnesses, including the victim, her mother and a doctor.
Douglas denied the allegations and told the court the relationship was consensual. Judge Ohodi rejected this, saying the evidence showed rape was beyond reasonable doubt.
The court found that it was not sufficiently proven that some of the alleged incidents occurred before 2018, when the teenager was under 18 years of age.
Chris Douglas was sentenced to life imprisonment for three counts of rape; Six counts of defilement and sexual assault were dismissed. His name was also registered on the Lagos State Sex Offenders Registry.
“The law must protect the vulnerable and this court will not hesitate to punish abuse of trust to the fullest extent,” the judge said.
