A MAN has been sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to raping his 14-year-old nephew in his bedroom in Honiara in 2024.
The 43-year-old man who could not be named to protect the victim’s identity was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to one count of rape.
Justice John Keniapisia, when imposing sentence, said this sentence term will send a powerful deterrent message to the accused and the public at large that offenders will receive harsher punishments to mark society’s outrage and denunciation against the committal of unnatural sex on young male children, which is starting to creep into the society.
“We must guard our society against these emerging forms of homosexuality crimes,” he said.
Justice Keniapisia also stated that the novelty of the unnatural sex involved in this case must be condemned in the strongest term.
“This sentence reflects the gravity of the offence and accords well with the Parliament’s intent to protect children from new and emerging sexual abuse under the 2016 legislative reform,” he emphasized.
The accused is the cousin brother of the victim’s father.
In March 2024, the victim and his parents migrated from their home village in Malaita to Honiara, where they lodged with the accused’s elder brother in West Honiara.
The house is a double-storey building.
The accused and the victim shared a room upstairs, while the victim’s parents resided on the ground floor.
The victim complained that on 16 June 2024, the accused had sexual intercourse with him in their room.
The accused also threatened the victim that he would kill him if he did not do as he was told.
On 20 June 2024, the accused beat the victim with an umbrella wire, inflicting injuries to the victim’s left shoulder.
The victim escaped and stayed with his grandfather.
When his mother went to take him home, the victim told his mother about what the accused did to him.
The victim’s parents observed that the accused would frequently monitor and restrict the victim’s movement and frequently ask the victim to have anal sex with him.
The matter was subsequently reported to the White River police, and customary compensation was exchanged.
Justice Keniapisia said this is a new and serious offence, and the novelty and seriousness of the offence could be viewed from a number of lenses.
But foremostly, it involves a serious betrayal of trust.
The agreed facts revealed that the accused AH is the uncle of victim KH and his parents have just migrated from the village to Honiara.
The victim’s family were lodging with the accused and his elder brother at the latter’s residence in West Honiara.
It was disclosed that during their stay in West Honiara, the victim was often heard crying at night because the accused was sexually abusing him upstairs.
Justice Keniapisia said this uncommon form of sexual intercourse chokes morality, sanity and cultural values of respect, care and love for another in the family.
He said what makes this offence even more serious is the unnatural sex involving male on male or homosexuality or unnatural sexual abuse offence.
Defence Counsel Ben Alasia from the Public Solicitor’s Office represented the accused, while Public Prosecutor Jonathan Auga appeared on behalf of the Crown.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
