A HIGH Court judge has sent a man who raped a disabled girl and also committed buggery or unnatural sex to a total of 10 years imprisonment, on Wednesday.
The man from Temotu who cannot be named to protect the identity of the 16 year-old girl,was found guilty after a trial for one count of rape and another of buggery.
Justice Francis Mwanesalua during the sentencing told the accused that he knew about the disabilities of the victim and should pity her but instead decided to commit rape and buggery on her to satisfy his own desire.
The court had heard the accused and the victim are living in the same area in Honiara on 25 December, 2013.
At that time the accused was 23 years of age.
He pulled the victim from her sister’s house and took her took her to a neighbour’s toilet where he committed the offence.
The victim struggled but could not shout for help for she was disabled and muted.
Justice Mwanesalua said the victim was disabled being unable to speak or to hear and only communicated with normal people by sign language.
He said this case had gone through a trial where the victim was put to enormous stress in giving evidence.
The court also heard the accused assaulted the victim before committing the offences on her in which she sustained injuries to various parts of her body.
The maximum penalty for rape is life imprisonment while that of buggery is 14 years imprisonment.
The accused had no previous convictions and was sentenced to six years imprisonment for the rape charge and four years imprisonment for the buggery charge.
Both sentences were ordered to run consecutively.
Lazarus Kwaiga of Public Solicitor’s Office represented the accused while Prosecutor Sirepu Ramosaea appeared for the state.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
