Teacher gets 20 years for rape

A 44-YEAR-old primary school teacher was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Goroka National Court after he was found guilty of sexually penetrating his eight-year-old step daughter.
The court found Joe Waromeso guilty of having sex with his step-daughter on Sept 20, 2008, in one of the schools in Henganofi district, Eastern Highlands.
Waromeso told the court he had a lot of children from his three wives.
The first he divorced, the second died and he is living with the third.
He has seven children from these wives and he said he was sorry for what he had done and asked the court for leniency and mercy.
He told the court: “Another point is that I am a school teacher, and am concerned for the children of my class.
“If I get sentenced, they will miss out on their education.”
According to medical reports, the sexual abuse on the girl by her step-father started since the beginning of 2008.
This concerned the court.
“The relationship between a father or step-father and his daughters should be one of love and trust, not lust.
“It is disturbing to find that someone who is working as a primary school teacher to behave in this manner,” justice Graham Ellis said.
He said there were no sensible options but to impose a custodial sentence.
The teacher was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour for breaching section 229 of the Criminal Code subsection A (2).