25 years with hard labour for gang-rape of schoolgirl

By Elizabeth Vuvu
A 45-year-old man in East New Britain was jailed for 25 years with hard labour for his role in a gang-rape of a helpless schoolgirl in 2013.
The Kokopo National Court last Thursday sentenced Tommy Koi, of Malaguna One in Rabaul district, to serve his punishment at the Kerevat Jail.
The victim, who was then 18 years old and was a Grade 8 student at Vunakanau Primary School, had gone with her boyfriend to Coconut Products Ltd (CPL) compound at Malaguna One on the evening of March 2.
The boyfriend left the girl inside a room after they had sexual intercourse. A few minutes later Koi and another co-accused forced open the door, threatened her with a bush knife and took her to the hills where she was raped several times at different spots until dawn by him and several other youths who were drunk. The girl then managed to escape.
Acting judge Justice David Susame said rape to him was the highest degree of sexual gratification and perversion.
“It is an intrusion and violation of the fundamental God-given right, of existence, of self-worth and of dignity of a woman as another human being,” he said.
“It causes considerable harm to the victim, both physically and psychologically. This lustful act is uncommon in the animal kingdom but only committed by humans, by males who are sexually obsessed, selfish and crazy.”
Susame said incidents of sexual penetration of females, both young and old, in recent times were ever increasing and prevalent in ENB and nationwide.
“This court cannot be insensitive about these developments and the ongoing cry of the society against the crime of rape,” he said.
“The court has a mandated duty to ensure protection of lives of its citizens and non-citizens. Perpetrators of such serious crimes must be incarcerated.”
Two years, 11 months and 1 day were deducted from the sentence for time spent in custody.