- Man, 20, jailed for rape
- Dora gives evidence at Tauohu’s trial
- Man to be sentenced for incest, July 29
Man, 20, jailed for rape
A 20 year man who pleaded guilty to raping a 15 year-old girl last year in Gela, Central Province has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
However, the defendant will only serve two years in prison.
This was after the court ordered that one year and six months of the imprisonment term be suspended for a period of two years on a good behaviour bond.
This means that the defendant after serving the jail term will be released to serve the one year and six months in the community on the condition he is of good behaviour for two years.
But if he re-offends within the two years, he will be sent back to prison to serve the one year and six months.
Justice Maelyn Bird also ordered that the seven months and eleven days the defendant had already spent in custody was to be deducted from the total sentence.
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Bird said whatever the circumstances are in his case, he must be punished for what he did to the complainant.
“The punishment that the court shall impose on you will show to you the gravity of the offence and the public disapproval of your action,” Justice Bird said.
“It also serves as a warning to others when you are punished for this crime because these laws are enacted for the protection of women and girls from abusive men like you,” she added.
The incident occurred on 6 December 2020 at a village in Gela.
It was heard the defendant who was 19 at that time met the 15 year-old complainant after church and asked her if he could meet with her that night.
The complainant told the defendant to come by her house.
The defendant went to the complainant’s house and called out for her.
The complainant came out and asked him what he wanted.
The court heard the defendant told the complainant to follow him to the kitchen.
The defendant then got hold of her and dragged her into the kitchen.
It was also heard that the complainant tried to escape but the defendant stood in the doorway preventing her to leave.
The defendant then raped the complainant and then left the scene.
Justice Maelyn Bird in her sentencing remarks said the defendant committed the offending upon the cover of the darkness.
She said what he did to the complainant by restraining her from leaving the kitchen by blocking the doorway have caused her stress and trauma.
Justice Bird on the other hand also took into account the defendant’s guilty plea, he is a first time offender, he cooperated with the police during investigation, he is a youthful offender and the amount of time he already spent in custody.
Dora gives evidence at Tauohu’s trial
OWNER of the fast money making scheme One Link Pacifica Charles Dora has on Monday testified against the scheme’s manual stream manager Gerrad Tauohu yesterday.
He is prosecution’s 15th witnesses who were called to give evidence at the trial against Tauohu.
Dora refused to answer most of the prosecution’s questions during the examination in chief which saw the prosecutor making an application under the Evidence’s Act to cross examine him.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea granted prosecution’s application, on which, the prosecution cross-examined him.
Tauohu’s lawyer then also cross-examined Dora followed by the re-examination by the prosecution.
Having ended his evidence, Mr Iomea adjourned the matter to tomorrow.
This is for the court to rule on the submission made by the prosecution in relation to their unavailable witness.
Prosecution is intending to tender the statement of one of their witness who is not available to give evidence at the trial.
Prosecution is also likely to close their case tomorrow.
Tauohu is standing trial for five counts of simple larceny.
Prosecution alleged he stole more than $400,000 of the scheme’s customers between December 2019 and February 2020.
He was charged after five of the scheme’s mentors filed their complaints to the police.
One Link customers were allegedly advised through the mentors to invest in the scheme.
They were allegedly promised that if they invest in the scheme they will be paid triple the amount they pay in a month’s time.
Tauohu, however, after allegedly collecting the money failed to repay One Link’s customers their money with its interest.
He then allegedly escaped to Malaita in March but was arrested a month later following the complaints from the five mentors.
A total of $336,891.20 was recovered from Tauohu when he was arrested.
The recovered money that was kept the Police’s exhibit facility at the Rove Police Headquarters went missing last October.
A Police officer looking after that exhibit facility is now on suspension awaiting the outcome of the Police’s Professional Standards Internal Investigation (PSII).
Dora is also facing charges of operating unlicensed banking business, charges laid under the Financial Institution Act (FIA).
Prosecution alleged he registered the scheme but had not applied for a license under the FIA to engage in business of banking in Solomon Islands.
Man to be sentenced for incest, July 29
THE man who confesses to committing incest on his elderly mother in May this year at a village in Gela, Central Province will be sentenced on Thursday.
The man in his 40’s who cannot be named had pleaded guilty to one count of incest at a previous court date.
He appeared yesterday in the Honiara Magistrate’s Court for sentencing submissions and mitigation on his matter.
However, both the prosecution and the defence informed the court they relied on their written sentencing submissions.
Public Solicitor’s lawyer Donation Houa said the defence submits that the appropriate sentence should not exceed two years.
When asked by the magistrate as to how long his client had been remanded in custody, Houa said it is now almost three months.
Principal Magistrate Fatima Taeburi then adjourned the matter for sentence and further remanded the defendant in custody.
The incident happened at a village in Gela, Central Province on 8 May this year.
