Man denies raping 4yr old girl

By GIDEON KINDIWA
THE lawyer of a man charged with the rape of a four-year-old girl says there is no medical report in the police hand-up brief to support the allegations.
Danny Thomas, 21, from Tikipi village in Komo, Margarima, Hela, was working as a security guard at Boroko Market in Port Moresby when he allegedly took the girl into the public bathroom and raped her.
David Kayok, from the Public Solicitor’s Office, defended him and told the Waigani Committal Court that the police file did not contain a medical report, which was an important piece of evidence in sexual offence cases.
Kayok was responding to an oral submission by police prosecutor Snr Sgt Joseph Sangam, who said that circumstantial evidence was “very strong” showing that Thomas really raped the girl.
“There is no interpretation clause in the statements filed by the victim and her mother, and so we do not know if they really gave their statements. Also, there is no medical report attached to the police hand-up brief,” he said.
Thomas also defended himself in a statement which said he did not know the girl and he could not just take her into a public bathroom.
According to allegations, the offence took place at about 6.30am on Aug 4 last year.
The girl was with her mother, who was a vendor at the market.
Her mother, as usual, left her at her market table and went to buy some food. She returned after five minutes and her daughter was missing.
After almost 30 to 40 minutes of searching, she heard her cry in the men’s shower room.
She went in and saw Thomas bathing the girl, both of them naked.
Thomas quickly put on his uniform and tried to escape but was apprehended by the public and locked up in the market cells.
He was later referred to police and was formally arrested and charged with two counts of sexual penetration of a minor. Magistrate Cosmas Bidar adjourned the matter to July 2.