Cop found guilty of rape

A POLICE officer in Kokopo was found guilty of raping, assaulting and performing indecent acts on his two daughters.
The senior constable was charged with eight counts of rape, three counts of indecent acts and two counts of assault.
He had pleaded not guilty and a trial was conducted in the Kokopo National Court.
The accused and his family lived at a police barracks when the offences were committed in 2011.
The accused began to rape one of his daughters after his wife passed away in September 2011.
The court heard that rape and physical abuse on the two victims became more prevalent.
The accused impregnated one of the victims who gave birth.
One of the victims told the court that she was afraid to tell her two brothers or their mother’s relatives because the accused was violent and she feared for her and her sister’s life. Both victims gave similar evidence of the abuses they had encountered.
Justice Salatiel Lenalia said the offender could not be released from criminal responsibility when evidence clearly revealed he had abused his biological daughters.
He said the prosecution proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.
The accused was found guilty for the crimes of rape because the victims submitted to sex due to threat.
This included five counts of rape against the first victim and one count against the second victim.
The accused will be sentenced at a later date.