By Martha Louis – EMTV News, Lae
The National Court today sentenced a 36-year-old man to 17 years with hard labour for sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl.
Presiding Judge Frazer Pitpit asked the lawyer representing him to work out the time he spent in remand and deduct it from the initial 17-year sentence imposed.
The court heard that in April 2013, Nabi Tam went to the house of the victim after a church service and sexually abused the girl.
The seven-year-old was with her other siblings in the house by themselves. Their parents had gone to visit a relative in the village.
The court heard that he had also attended the Church service with the victim’s family and had returned home with the victim and her other siblings to the house without their parents. The victim reported the matter to her parents, who then reported it to police.
In another case last Friday, Judge Pitpit also sentenced 47-year-old Regina Biton to 10 years and her husband Gideon Biton to 23 years in prison for sexually abusing their 13-year-old adopted daughter.
The court heard that the couple planned the abuse and the woman facilitated the abuse of their adopted daughter.
The sexual abuse continued until the victim became pregnant in 2013 and gave birth to a baby boy in 2014.
The mother of the victim also found out and reported the matter to the police.
At the Family Support Centre in Lae, the rate of child sexual abuse is disturbing.
15 cases are reported everyday, many of the crimes are committed by family members or people who know the victims and their families.
These two sentences are the most significant cases prosecuted by the Lae Family and Sexual Violence Unit.
