Death of 15 year-old girl mars Catholic celebrations

By Alfred Sasako

A 15-year-old girl was cheated of life on Saturday night when a vehicle allegedly driven at high speed ploughed into her as she walked home with other youths after church, police said last night.

Police are yet to release the girl’s name.

Eye witnesses told Island Sun the vehicle went over the newly-built concrete embankment, taking with her the young girl as she walked on the footpath towards Lawson Tama.

An angry mob descended on the vehicle, a white sedan and its driver, shortly afterwards, setting it alight. The burnt out wreck of the vehicle has been condoned off at the scene of the accident.

Police, who arrived at the scene about the same time, said the young girl was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

A 26-year-old female has been formally arrested and faces multiple charges on a number of offences, including “causing death by reckless and dangerous driving under the Traffic Act”.

The suspect was also arrested for driving an unlicensed motor vehicle which expired on 30 June 2018 and driving without a driver’s license.

“The motor vehicle was allegedly approaching the Honiara City Council Roundabout at high speed when the vehicle went off the road and allegedly collided with the deceased who was walking in an easterly direction on the (footpath) near the Solomon Water Office,” Kukum Traffic Supervising Director, Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Michael Haomae said in a statement.

“The suspect was transported to the Central Police Station and formally arrested for causing death by reckless and dangerous driving under the Traffic Act. She was given a Random Breath Test (RBT), which showed alcohol blood reading of 0.184 per cent, well above the legal limit of 0.050 percent.”

Relatives told Island Sun the girl was from Takwa, North Malaita. She was walking home with other youths around 8.30pm last night after attending a Youth Rally at the Holy Cross Cathedral.

Her death marred two month of Catholic celebrations which concluded in Honiara on Sunday. Thousands of Catholics from the Central Islands Province, Makira/Ulawa province and Guadalcanal province attended the closing celebrations which marked the landing of two Franciscan Brothers at Point Cruz in 1568 – some 450 years ago.

Staff Sgt Haomae on Sunday extended sympathy and condolences to members of the family.

“On behalf of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) I would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased after the sudden passing away of their young girl.”

He appealed members on both sides to refrain from taking the law into their own hands but to allow police to handle the matter.

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