O. Ndiaye, alias "Laye Lama," a 36-year-old cable installer (33 at the time of the events), appeared before the Criminal Court on Tuesday. He faced charges of rape, pedophilia, and abduction of a minor in the case of B. Sèye, who was 14 years old at the time of the incident in May 2023 in the Déggo neighborhood of Yeumbeul, reports L'Observateur, which attended the hearing.

On the day of the incident, the accused intercepted the teenager as she was going to a phone repair shop. Having approached her the previous day, introducing himself as her uncle, he lured her into an empty house under the pretext of giving her a gift for her father, who was leaving for Mecca. Once inside, he locked the door, restrained the victim, and raped her despite her cries. Traumatized, the young girl remained silent until October 13, 2023, when her mother discovered she was more than 23 weeks pregnant.

The baptism of discord and the refusal of the DNA test

The same source recalls that during the investigation, it was established that the accused's brother had paid 150,000 CFA francs to the victim's family so that the baby would bear the name of their own mother.

However, in court, the accused denied ever touching the young girl and refused the court-ordered DNA test, citing a lack of financial resources. Confronted by the prosecutor with his own written statements to the investigating judge – in which he agreed to give his name to the child "to prevent this innocent child from becoming fatherless" – O. Ndiaye became mired in denial. His own mother, moreover, sided with the prosecution during the investigation.

10 years imprisonment requested

The defense argued for acquittal, attempting to exploit the fact that the victim's father had not formally joined his wife's complaint. This argument was immediately dismissed by the prosecutor.

"Girls who are victims of rape never speak directly. It is their mothers who, by observing carefully, discover the facts, file a complaint and become civil parties," he replied, as reported by the newspaper.

Considering the charges sufficiently substantiated, the public prosecutor requested a sentence of 10 years' imprisonment against O. Ndiaye.

The verdict of the Criminal Chamber has been reserved until June 8, concludes the daily newspaper of the Future Media Group.