70-year-old jailed for raping girl

By VANESSA NIKEN
THE Waigani National Court jailed a 70-year-old man 10 years yesterday for raping a neighbouring seven-year-old girl but spared him half the sentence.
Acting Judge Tracey Ganaii said she took into consideration the man’s story, guilty plea, compensation payment, age and apologies to take five years off the jail term.
She said John Are, from Kopko village in Sinasina-Yongomugl, Chimbu, on Oct 19, 2020, at 9-Mile, Port Moresby, had lured the girl by promising to give her food and took her to the back of a nearby church, removed her clothes and sexually penetrated her using his fingers.
“The girl had felt pain,” she said.
“The father then found out that her daughter was missing from the home and went to search for her.
“She was found naked walking out from behind the church.
Are was arrested and charged with sexual penetration of a child.
Judge Ganaii said Are lived at 9-Mile and was known to the victim and her family – they were living in the same neighbourhood.
She said Are had sent his family away and lived by himself.
“Are has no prior convictions and is a first-time offender, has admitted to the offence and was sorry for what he had done and asked the court for mercy,” she said.
“Are had also paid a compensation to the girl’s family with a pig worth K5,000 and K5,000 in cash.”
Judge Ganaii said the State had relied on the aggregating factors that there was a big gap between the ages of Are and the girl.
She noted from the medical report that there was no damage to the girl’s private part and also no trauma nor stress.
She had considered the story behind Are’s charge and circumstances, plus his pre-sentence report such as his age, family and compensation and had considered his plea and begging for mercy.