Man accused of raping girl to go on trial

A 43-YEAR-OLD man who allegedly raped an eight-year-old girl three years ago in Port Moresby was committed to stand trial in the National Court on Wednesday.
Magistrate Paul Puri Nii in the Waigani Committal said there was enough evidence to commit Philimon Sora from Yagusa village, Okapa, Eastern Highlands.
Sora was charged with one count each of sexual penetration, abuse of trust and molestation.
Magistrate Nii said Sora had denied the allegations however, a medical report showed there was damage done to the victim’s genitals.
He said evidence was sufficient to commit Sora on all charges and issued a warrant for him to remain in custody.
Police allege that in 2019 between September and November on an afternoon while the victim was sitting on the lawn at her family home, Sora approached her and asked if she wanted to play on his mobile phone when he took the victim to the back yard and raped her.
The victim claimed that Sora had molested and raped her on two other occasions however, she could not recall the exact dates.
The victim was afraid of reporting the matter until she saw a newspaper article on Nov 13, 2021, about a girl her age with the same problem.