Magistrate remands man accused of raping 7-year-old girl

A 20-YEAR-OLD man was charged in the Goroka District Court with raping a seven-year-old girl last month.
Senior Magistrate Josephine Nidue read out the charge to Junior Jonathan, from Nagamiufa village near Goroka town, and fixed Monday for hearing. On July 17, between 7pm and 8pm, Jonathan was walking through Asariufa village and came across the girl and her friend.
Jonathan asked the girls to show him the road leading to the next village.
He told them that he was new in the village and needed assistance to find the road leading to the next village.
According to police investigations, Jonathan allegedly pretended to be guided and grabbed hold of the neck and dress of the other girl, but she shook his hands off and ran away.
Jonathan then allegedly turned on the girl, dragged her into the nearby bushes, sodomised and raped her.
He covered her mouth with his hands and continued with the sexual assault until she was bleeding and covered in blood.
The girl’s parents and the entire villagers searched and found her with Jonathan. She was then taken by her parents who rushed her to hospital and the villagers handed Jonathan over to the police.