A 16-year-old boy, charged as an adult for sexual connection against an 11-year-old at knifepoint was recently sentenced to 16 months in jail.
Given the defendant is a juvenile delinquent, Supreme Court Justice, Fepulea’i Ameperosa Roma issued a suppression order on the identity of the defendant.
In his judgement and sentencing, outlines that the young man faces charges of sexual connection; sexual violation and threatening to kill.
According to the Police in February this year the victim, an 11-year-old female was at school and was looking for her older brother so they could go home together. She met the defendant at an inland road, while he was armed with a machete.
The defendant pointed her to a residence nearby, and then followed the victim and “lifted her to a secluded area near the school building”.
He threatened the young girl not to scream otherwise he’d kill her with the machete pointing to her neck. The defendant was 15 years old at that time and performed sexual acts on the 11-year-old girl.
The defendant let the girl go and she ran home and told her mother.
The Victim’s Impact Report indicates that the victim was scared when you pointed the machete at her neck and threatened to kill her if she did not comply, and she has been teased at school for what happened and had since refused to return to school.
Justice Roma pointed out that the use of a weapon and active threats to inflict violence aggravates the level of the defendant’s offending.
“The interests of the victim and the public must not also be overlooked. I am satisfied therefore that the interests of justice warrant your conviction and sentence. “I am also of the view that a custodial sentence is an appropriate penalty.”
“On the charge of sexual connection with a child under 12 years, you are convicted and sentenced to 16 months imprisonment; a sexual violation, you are convicted and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and for the armed with a dangerous weapon, you are convicted and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment. “All sentences to be served concurrently.”
