A MAN from Rarumana, Parara Island, Western Province, will spend 20 years and eight months behind bars for having sex with an underaged girl and committing indecent acts on two other minors.
The man who could not be named for legal reasons was convicted during the recent Gizo High Court Circuit.
He was found guilty of having sex with a girl under 15-years-old and committing indecent acts on two other minors during separate occasions in 2022.
The married man was arrested December last year after committing the offences on unknown dates, the High Court Circuit trial heard.
He was 33 when he committed the offences and is related to the victims as cousin.
The hearing of the matter was presided over Judge Ronald Bei Talasasa more than a week ago and the man pleaded guilty plea to six counts of sexual offences.
The first count was for insertion his fingers into the private part of the girl he raped. The girl was 13-years-old at that time.
The second count was for having sexual intercourse with the girl.
The third was for committing an indecent act on one of the two other girls by pressing her left breast. This girl was also 13-years-old at that time.
The fourth count was for holding the breasts of the second victim, sucking her nipple and rubbing his hand around her private part.
The fifth count was for pressing the left breast of the second victim for the second time.
The sixth count was for committing an indecent act on the third girl who was 11-years-old at that time. The man asked her to allow him to touch her breasts.
The man committed all the offences when his wife was not around.
The matter was reported to Police and the man was arrested and he spent the past nine months at Gizo Correctional Centre.
Judge Talasasa when handing down the sentence last Friday ordered the following:
For count one – 8 years, count two – 8 years, for counts three, four and five – 3 years and six months and for count 6 – 1 year and two months.
The verdict did not state whether the nine months the man spent at the Gizo Correctional would be deducted from the total sentence term.
The accused has the right to appeal the sentence, Judge Talasasa concluded.
By MOFFAT MAMU
