Lack of evidence allows man on sex charge to go free

A MAN accused of sexually abusing a child was acquitted yesterday at the Bomana National Court after it found there was insufficient evidence against him.
Justice Panuel Mogish found Kuman Ole, from Chimbu, not guilty of allegations that he sexually abused a five-year-old girl at the Laloki Psychiatric Hospital on April 11, 2016. Justice Mogish held that the evidence submitted by the state from different sources contradicted themselves.
“These testimonies are not credible,” Justice Mogish said.
He said the issue before the court was whether the evidence alleged against Ole before was sufficient to find him guilty of the charge.
The facts before the court alleged that the accused, at the time of the allegations, was working with a security firm, Black Swan International. It was alleged that he lured the victim to the guard house and sexually penetrated her using his fingers.
The court found that the first witness testified that the accused called the child into the guard house, and lured her with lollies, and sexually penetrated her using his fingers. The child then told her mother that the accused had penetrated her using his fingers after she was faced with pain around her genitals later at night. The second witness testified that the child revealed what happened to her after she was seen limping at a different time of the day.
The third witness gave evidence according to a medical report which stated that rashes were found along the side of the child’s genitals. These were evidences that the other two witnesses failed to report, which contradicted the other two witness’ statements.
“I accept that there is not enough evidence and that Kuman Ole is not guilty of the charge,” Justice Mogish said.