In the case of Ibeakanma v. Queen (1963) 2 SCNLR 191, the appellant was charged with rape in that he had sexual intercourse with a married woman against her will. The appellant denied the offence. The trial Judge relied on the scar on the appellant’s shoulder as a result of a bite by the complainant during the intercourse, as corroborative evidence and he convicted the appellant. The Supreme Court found that in the absence of any other evidence implicating the appellant on the offence of rape, the scar on the appellant’s shoulder alone did not constitute corroboration. The appellant was discharged and acquitted.
DANGER OF CONVICTING FOR RAPE ON UNCORROBORATED EVIDENCE
It is an established practice in criminal law that though corroboration of the evidence of the complainant in a rape case is not a statutory requirement, it is, in practice, always looked for. In other words, it is now a well established practice, by the courts in Nigeria, that in cases of rape the evidence...