Man gets four years for ‘touching’ minor

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
A 59-year-old man has been jailed for four years on two counts of sexually touching a minor – his own granddaughter.
National Court Judge David Cannings yesterday described the Madang man’s actions as a  “horrendous breach of trust”.
The court was told that the offences happened on Sept 29, 2009. The victim, then aged nine, was on her way to wash in the river when she forgot her towel. She was returning to fetch it when she met the grandfather.
The man asked her to go with him to collect firewood. The victim did as she was asked but after a while she wanted to urinate.
The court was told that when she removed her clothes to do so, the man grabbed her by the arms and pulled her under a tree where he removed his clothes and tried to have sex with her.
He was interrupted by the victim’s brother who came looking for her.
Cannings said the sentence had taken into account the age of the offender and that the victim’s family wanted no compensation but a custodial sentence.
Despite the horrendous breach of trust that has occurred, if the family had been willing to try to resolve the problems created by the offender within the family, this may have provided justification for a suspended sentence.
“But this is not the case … it seems this may assist the victim, who is now 11-year-old, in dealing with what has happened to her,” he said.
Nurses from the Modilon General Hospital who had sat in to hear the matter, had expressions of disgust on their faces as they craned to have a good look at the man.