PHOTO: Suspect Moses Doemane in light blue shirt be put into a police vehicle
By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- Police in Liberia’s central Bong County have arrested, charged and sent to court a 52-year-old man and a Christian cleric identified as Moses Doemane for allegedly raping a girl, 16.
The crime was allegedly committed in Kpaai District outside Gbarnga, which is situated nearly 198 kilometers from Monrovia.
The 16-year-old rape survivor is believed to be a neighbor to suspect Doemanie.
He is said to be the Assistant Pastor of the Aladoura Church in the area and he was arrested based on a complaint filed by the survivor’ relative, Junior David.
According to the Liberian National Police (LNP), the incident occurred on Tuesday July 21, 2020,, when suspect Doemanie allegedly raped the minor.
According to the police charge sheet from the County, on July 21, 2020, relatives of the survivor reported to the women and children protection section of the LNP that their daughter was allegedly sexually abused by defendant Moses Doemanie.
Explaining her ordeal, the survivor told the police that on Tuesday July 21, 2020, while she was washing her clothes, the suspect Moses Doemanie asked her to help him wash his part of clothes, and request she accepted, said a LNP press release.
Medical report further revealed that the victim was tempered with.
The little girl explained, “So after I washed the clothes, Moses later came and asked me whether his clothes are dried. But I told him that the clothes wasn’t dry and that’s how he asked me to take them to his house because he was going somewhere and I did.”
“When I got at his house he asked me to take them inside his room and when I entered inside that how he followed me pushed me on the bed, telling him to stop took a s and place it in my mouth, raped me, took my blood put it in a bottle top put a black dust in it and mixed it with his fingers and forced me to lake it and put some inside my virginia. And later told me not to tell anyone including my parents, if I do ihe was going to kill me and family,” the girl further narrated.
But defendant Doemanine has since denied the allegation, terming it as witch-hunt.
The police are meanwhile, calling on the public to always exercise patience in allowing them time to conduct thorough investigations and desist from engaging into mob actions.
“The public must understand that some criminal investigations normally take time and most times require the support of community members to help with useful information in arresting suspects,” the LNP said in a release.
The police have assured the public that they are committed to protecting everyone, while respecting their fundamental rights.