Houses burnt in retaliation after rape incident

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
EIGHT houses were razed in Western’s Tugum village after a woman was allegedly raped by an 18-year-old boy on Feb 8.
Western police commander Chief Insp Silva Sika said the houses were allegedly torched by the woman’s family in retaliation of the rape.
He said the rape suspect, now in a police lockup in North Fly’s Kiunga, was from Middle Fly’s Kubut village.
According to police investigations, Chief Insp Sika said the boy was with his mother making their way to an area where villagers go to get sago between Miwa and Tagum villages.
“The boy then spotted his victim waiting beside her canoe,” he said.
“She could not go out and paddle across Lake Murray because of strong winds and waves.
“The woman tried to paddle across to Boboa Station but the boy left his mother and approached the women with a scarf covering his face.
He then threatened the woman with a bush knife.
“The boy then grabbed the woman by the neck, pushed her down on the ground beside her canoe, and with his hands around her neck, forcefully undressed his victim and raped her.”
After the sexual attack, the boy took all the woman’s belongings and paddled away in the canoe.
Chief Insp Sika said the Boboa Station councillor lodged a police report and policemen arrested the boy.
However, he said: “I condemn the actions of the relatives because the owners and occupants of the houses were not related to the boy nor had anything to do with the crime.
“The boy is charged with one count of rape and we are also investigating the arson.”