BY ROMINAH FAKA
The Magistrate court has remanded a 31-year-old man accused of performing indecent acts on his biological daughter.
The incidents reportedly occurred in October 2021 in one of the settlements around Honiara but the complainant did not report them until July this year following an assault by the accused.
The complainant who is now 14 years old was 11 when the alleged indecent acts were committed on her by the accused.
On July 18 this year the matter was reported to police and August 6 the accused was charged and bailed to appear before the court on August 21.
But, the accused failed to attend and the matter was adjourned for September 4 with summons by the court on the accused.
Again the accused failed to attend when the matter was mentioned in court on Wednesday this week (Sept 4) therefore court placed him on remand.
The case was adjourned for mention on September 18.
Police investigations are continuing.
Allegations say on October 15, 2021 the complainant was sleeping when the accused came and laid beside her, touching her body in an indecent manner.
The victim woke up and shouted, and the accused apologised and told her not to tell anyone, promising the complainant that he would not do it again.
On October 16, 2021, however the accused reportedly assaulted the complainant during which he removed her shirt leaving her topless.
The accused, with a knife in hand, threatened the complainant not to tell anyone about what had happened the previous day and told her to put on a shirt.
Later that day, when the complainant was sleeping, the accused went over and cradled her in his arms and committed the act of searching for lice on her head.
The victim woke and froze, reportedly too scared to do anything.
The accused then reportedly began touching her indecently.
The accused told her to allow him to touch her body indecently, promising her that he would buy her a smartphone.
The complainant did not accept what the accused was doing to her that she reportedly stood up crying and went outside the house.
The complainant did not report anything to anybody.
In July this year, the accused allegedly assaulted the complainant.
Following this, the complainant decided to report her father so she went and reported to her aunt, who in turn reported the matter to police on July 18.
Office of Public Prosecution appears for the Crown.
