Student arrested for sexual abuse

POLICE in Kokopo, East New Britain, have charged a 15-year-old male primary school student in Kokopo with sexual penetration. The suspect is currently detained at the Kokopo Police Station cell and is expected to appear before the Kokopo District Court this week. According to the provincial police commander Chief Insp Joseph Tabali, the incident occurred on Friday at Palnakaur village in the Kokopo-Vunamami urban local level government, Kokopo.
The suspect, who attends Kabaleo Primary School, is of mixed East New Britain and Manus parentage.
Police alleged that the female victim, who is also 15, is a grade seven student at Kalamanagunan Primary School. Chief Insp Tabali said the victim was travelling back home after school on a bus with the suspect. He said inside the bus the boy threatened the girl with a pocket knife and forced her to get off the bus with him at Gazelle Motors round-about, and to follow him to his village at Palnakaur. Chief Insp Tabali said the suspect brought the victim to his house when his parents were not around and allegedly raped her.  “The victim, somehow, managed to escape, went home and reported the matter to her parents where a formal complaint was lodged with Kokopo police,” he said. Chief Inspt Tabali called on parents to monitor their children, especially teenagers, both male and female, on their where-abouts and activities.
He said that boy and girl relationship at all primary schools in the province were becoming a concern. Girls, were becoming pregnant, and therefore, parents needed to protect their daughters. “Check your child if he or she doesn’t come home quickly after school,” he said.