Man sent to jail for assaulting child
A MAN who lured his five-year-old niece to his bush garden in Makira Ulawa Province to harvest peanuts and then sexually abused her has been sent to three years and one month in prison.
The man who cannot be named to protect the identity of the complainant/victim was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to one count of Indecent Assault of a Child Under 15.
Judge Rex Faukona when sentencing the defendant said the social environmental set up and the remoteness of the village setting often encountered with such an anti-social behaviour.
“The complainant and the defendant lived together in a village in the highlands of Central Bauro District,” Judge Faukona said.
He added that the defendant who was a single person of 36 years lived with other close relatives in their community.
“Because he chooses to be a bachelor perhaps, he could not afford to avoid his sexual immorality desires.
“The fact that he could not grasp elsewhere, he picked within his own family.
“Unfortunately for him the victim was far below the age of consent.”
Judge Faukona further added that because the drive was so powerful inwardly, he had to trick the child of 5 years to indecently assaulted her.
He said the prey he chose is peanuts, a universal root crop the children keen to chew on.
“He had to lead her into the bush garden, a quite secret environment.”
He said from that sport, he abused the child who was his own niece.
After he sexually abused the victim on 23 September 2022, the defendant told the victim not to report what had happened.
It was heard the victim reported the matter to her mother who went and asked the defendant for compensation.
The defendant paid a compensation of $1,000 to the victim’s mother.
“What the court had expressed is that any payment of cultural compensation cannot buy out someone’s criminal offending.
“It merely acts as mitigation feature in considering the right sentence to deliver.
“And any payment should not be seen as excessive,” the judge said.
Andrew Bosa of Public Solicitor’s Office represented the defendant whilst Public Prosecutor Patricia Waisanau appeared for the Crown.
Man, faces trial for assault after murder charge dropped
A MAN will be facing trial for an assault related charge after the initial charge of murder against him was discontinued during the High Court circuit in Auki Malaita Province this week.
Edwin Maukoro will be facing trial for one count of Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm before Judge Ronald Bei Talasasa Jnr on Monday next week.
He and Junior Bako were initially charged with murder.
Their matter has been listed before the two weeks High Court circuit that started in Auki this week.
Having appeared in court, the Prosecution filed a nolle prosequi (to no longer prosecute) for the charge of murder, hence proceedings for the murder are discontinued.
Junior Bako has been discharged and is now a free man.
This was after the spoke with the family of the deceased.
The Prosecution then filed an amended charge against Maukoro for Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm, of which, Maukoro pleaded not guilty to, on Thursday.
His trial will start on Monday next week.
The alleged incident occurred on the night between 23 and 24 April 2022 at Lalana Village in the Langa Langa Lagoon, Malaita Province.
Prosecution alleged the defendant’s group were drinking and playing loud music that night.
The deceased was allegedly assaulted when he came to tell the boys not to make noise.
He was later seen lying on the ground and was taken to the clinic where he was pronounced dead by a nurse.
There was no post mortem conducted on the deceased’s body as the family of the deceased did not allow it.
Oxley Limeniala represents the defendant whilst Public Prosecutors Letiara Pellie Selwyn Vaike appeared on behalf of the Crown.
