43-year-old man jailed for abuse

By DYLAN MURRAY
THE NATIONAL Court has sentenced a 43-year-old man to 11 years and 10 months with hard labour for sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl in 2019.
Judge Panuel Mogish had initially sentenced the man, from Yagusa village in Okapa, Eastern Highlands, to 15 years but had subtracted the amount of time he had spent in custody.
The accused’s lawyer, Daniel Turalom from the Public Solicitor’s Office said he had spent the three years, two months and a week in custody at Bomana.
He has been in custody since Jan 18, 2021.
Judge Mogish said the accused was a friend of the little girl’s family and was living with them at Gerehu Stage 4, NCD, at the time of the offence.
He said the accused had allegedly lured the little girl to the back of her home under the pretext of letting her play games on his phone.
While there, the accused forcefully removed the girl’s clothes and forced her to lay on the ground while he sexually penetrated her.
The accused later threatened her, telling her not to tell her parents or he would kill them.
Judge Mogish said the accused had pleaded guilty to the offence.
He said the girl had identified the offender and what he had done, and even though the accused had pleaded guilty, the girl would have to live with being violated like that for the rest of her life.
“There was an air of trust. He (the accused) betrayed the child and her family,” he said.
He sentenced the accused to an effective sentence of 11 years, nine months and three weeks at Bomana with hard labour.