A HIGH Court judge has convicted a man who applied ‘a mixture of con tactics, sexual harassment and aggression’ to rape a woman.
The defendant Jaret Sialo was found guilty of one count of rape after a trial and will be sentenced early next year.
According to Judge John Keniapisia, the only evidence he had was from the victim, which he accepted as truthful.
He rejected the defense’s proposition that the victim had changed her mind and consented to having sex with him voluntarily.
“I find that Jaret had sex with the Complainant through a mixture of con tactics, sexual harassment, and aggression or force or threat and in the end crushed her free will to choose voluntarily or freely and she finally gave in to have sex with him out of fear for her own safety.”
The victim and her sister met Sialo, who introduced himself as Shane Wickham of part Papua New Guinea parentage, on their way to the Lungga bus stop on the morning of 7 February 2022.
Sialo offered to drive them to Kukum and later asked for their phone number.
He then borrowed $1,000 from them to pay for the clearance of his container at the Ports, promising that he would pay them back on Friday.
The next day, Sialo asked to borrow another $1,000, but the sisters became suspicious and decided to give him only $100.
When the victim met Sialo at Jasmine Shop to give him the $100, he drove her to the Sir David Kausimae Building just beyond the bus stand opposite the Panatina Plaza and there, he made sexual advances towards her.
She refused and Sialo slapped her.
She tried to escape but he locked all the doors of the vehicle.
Sialo’s mood at that time changed from a smiling person to an aggressive person.
Sialo then made a “U” turn at the Panatina Plaza and drove back to Kukum at a very high speed.
The victim was terrified and feared for her safety, so she told Sialo to stop and do what he wanted to ensure she was dropped off safely.
Sialo then pulled the vehicle over just beyond the Kukum SINU bus stand, had sex with her and later dropped her off at Jasmine Shop.
The complainant reported the incident to the police when Sialo failed to repay her money and discovered that the stranger who raped her was not Shane Wickham but Jared Sialo.
She first reported the money case first then the rape case in early 2022.
Sialo was already convicted and sentenced in 2002 for the money case.
Judge Keniapisia found Sialo guilty of rape, concluding that he had sexual intercourse with the complainant without her consent or was reckless as to her lack of consent.
Bobby Harunari of the Public Solicitor’s Office represents Sialo whilst Public Prosecutor Hellen Naqu appears for the Crown.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
