Plea to withdraw charge denied

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
POLICE have rejected a request by relatives of a teenage girl to withdraw sexual offence charges against her uncle, a senior government officer, who allegedly raped her on Friday.
Kerema police station commander Sr Insp Michael Pakyei said the relatives claimed that the man had been very supportive to them, helping in family obligations and on a community project.
“Currently the suspect is in custody in the Kerema police station, charged with rape, multiple molests, breach of trust and incest,” he said.
He said police rejected the request “because police cannot condone such violent crimes against girls or women”.
“The Government is against such violence against women and children. Based on that, we have to let the law take its course,” he said.
He said it was up to the court to deal with the family’s request.
“He has also been denied bail,” Sr Insp Pakyei said.
“The 67-year-old man, a senior manager with a department, was in Kerema for an official meeting after travelling from Port Moresby.
Sr Insp Pakyei said the man and the girl lived in the same settlement in Port Moresby.
She wanted to also go to her village in Gulf.
“So the 18-year-old niece hitched a ride with her uncle on April 29 with the consent of her parents,” he said.
After the four-hour journey on the Hiritano Highway, it got dark and she could not be dropped off at Iosupi village to take a boat along the Tauri River to her village down the coast.
“So both agreed to continue travelling to Kerema Town, spend a night and then continue with her journey the next day,” he said.
Sr Insp Pakyei said that upon checking into a hotel room, the girl went straight to bed to sleep. There was only one large bed and the man slept next to her.
“The uncle then started seducing her with pornographic videos on his mobile phone. He made three unsuccessful attempts (to rape her),” he added.
Sr Insp Pakyei said in the early hours of Friday morning, the girl was fast asleep when the uncle undressed her and started caressing her.
She woke up but was overpowered and allegedly raped.
“She managed to escape from the room.
“The security guards were alerted by her crying and responded to her. After she relating her ordeal to the guards, they went to the room and initiated a citizen’s arrest at about 3am and brought the uncle to the police station.”