Sex assault costs K24,600

By ROSELYN ELLISON
THE 55-year-old first engineer of a Taiwanese fishing vessel was found guilty of sexual harassment and fined K15,000 by East New Britain’s Kokopo district court on Friday.
Magistrate Samuel Lavutul ordered He Jiang Ping to pay the fine to the Government consolidated account and another US$3,000 (K9,600) as compensation to the woman fisheries observer whom he sexually assaulted.
Lavutul said in default of the settlement of fine and compensation, He is to serve three years jail with hard labour in Kerevat Prison.
However, He managed to pay the fine and compensation the same day.
According to police, fisheries observer Mwarii Teeta was sexually assaulted by He on two occasions.
On Dec 16, Teeta was on duty aboard FV “Hsieh Feng number 788” when He harassed and verbally abused Teeta by uttering the word “chikichiki”, a common expression used by Asians when asking for sex, and also caressed her thigh. On Dec 30, Teeta reported a faulty light and returned to her room when He came to fix the light.
He again harassed Teeta by grabbing the upper part of her body and kissing her left cheek. Teeta then alerted the fisheries master and complained about the sexual harassment and assaults.
On Jan 1, the Taiwan authorities requested to dock the vessel at the nearest port and have Teeta disembarked as her safety had been compromised.
The vessel called at the port in Rabaul on Jan 3, after spending four days at the fishing grounds.
Teeta’s case was investigated by the PNG National Fisheries Authority compliance officers on Jan 4, and He was found to have breached a condition of its PNG fishing license and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conservation and management measure on the safety of Fisheries Observers.