The Enugu Sexual Assault Referral Centre (also known as the Tamar Centre) has reported the first case of a con-viction following a victim being assisted by the SARC.
An 18-year-old boy sexually assaulted a 27-year-old female victim at her home in Udi LGA, Enugu State in April 2015. The victim of the assault reported to the police who brought her to the SARC where she received medical treatment and counseling. A forensic medical report was passed to the police who arrested the boy and charged him to court. Following the submission of the medical report as evidence, the boy pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.
Whilst this is the first recorded occasion of SARC medical evidence being used to secure a conviction, there are more than twenty additional cases that are currently going through the courts and more convictions are anticipated.