A child born of alleged rape: A trainee driver impregnates his boss's daughter and faces 5 years in prison.

The criminal chamber of the Thiès High Court examined a case of rape, pedophilia, and abduction of a minor on Monday, July 13, involving apprentice driver N. Ngom. He is accused of having sexual relations with BC, his employer's 15-year-old daughter, at the time of the alleged events, which took place in 2024 in Thiès. The case came to light after the girl became pregnant. Following a complaint, N. Ngom was arrested and remanded in custody.

In court, he admitted to having sexual relations with the girl, while denying the rape charges. N. Ngom maintained that their relationship was consensual and that they were a couple. "I had sexual relations with her, but she consented. I didn't rape her. We lived in the same house and we were a couple. We had sexual relations three times. Her parents weren't aware of our relationship. I didn't know the law prohibited sexual relations with a minor," he stated before bursting into tears.

The victim, BC, confirmed having had sexual relations with the defendant, but stressed that they were forced upon her by the latter.

In his closing argument, the public prosecutor noted that the defendant had never denied having had sexual relations with the girl, neither during the preliminary investigation nor in court. He emphasized that the girl herself had also confirmed the existence of these relations.

The public prosecutor's representative, however, insisted that the victim was a minor at the time of the events and could not, legally, give valid consent.

According to him, the young girl was coerced, which constitutes rape. Believing that the offenses of pedophilia and abduction of a minor were established, he asked the court to find N. Ngom guilty and sentence him to five years' imprisonment.

In his closing argument, Mr. Ayi maintained that the evidence in the case did not support the rape charge. He reminded the court that, before the investigating judge, the victim had stated that she was in love with N. Ngom and had even expressed the desire to marry him.

According to the lawyer, the two were in a romantic relationship, which, in his view, rules out the possibility of rape. The defense also emphasized that a child was born from this relationship.

For Me Ayi, a conviction of the accused would be contrary to the interests of this little girl, who risks growing up far from her father.

He therefore asked the court to make a nuanced assessment of the facts before rendering its decision.

The verdict will be delivered on July 27, 2026.