A 39-year-old father has been apprehended on Thursday 5 September 2024 for allegedly raping his own daughter in the Western Province.
Officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in Western Province conducted the arrest, a statement issued by Police Media Unit revealed.
It was alleged that the father rapes his daughter in 2022 when she was 10-year-old while she was in grade three.
The name of the village and island could not be revealed by Police.
Supervising Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Western Province, Superintendent Wilken Miriki said, “The defendant continues to rape her in 2023 until on the month July 2024 then the matter was reported to police.”
PPC Miriki said, the suspect has been committing the offence when his wife is out for work.
“The defendant threatens his daughter not to tell anyone about the matter when he sexually abuses her.”
Superintendent Miriki said, “The defendant has been arrested and charged for the offence of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 15 contrary to section 139 (1) (a) of Penal Code (Amendment) (Sexual Offences) Act 2016.”
Mr. Miriki said, the defendant is currently on remand at Gizo correctional facility and will appear before Gizo Magistrates’ Court on a later date for his trial.
“This is really another sad incident that should have happened in our communities. Our girls deserve protection from their father as the head of the family. Instead, this scenario depicts different stories in our family settings,” Miriki said.
PPC Miriki said, its good that the young girl with support from relatives has courage to come forward and report the matter to the police for the suspect to face a fair trial for his actions.
