PHOTO: Convict Junior Harris
By Solomon Tayblah
BOPOLU, Liberia- As rape cases rise across Liberia, the 16th judicial Circuit Court of Gbarpolu County has brought down a guilty verdict against a 40-year-old man, Junior Harris for committing STATUTORY RAPE.
Mr. Harris alledgely had sexual intercourse with a minor, age 3, using his penis, thereby causing the child to bleed profusely from her private part.
Grand Jurors for this north-western County during the May A.D.2024 term of Court returned a true bill against defendant Harris, a resident of Weasua Town, Gbarma district recently.
The indictment further alleged that the victim’s mother took her(victim) on the farm and while in the field planting corns, she left the victim under a tent where the defendant, who is her neighbour, crept and emerged behind, enter the tent and had sex with the child.
The case was advanced on the court docket to be heard during this term(May), after the prosecution motion to advance the case on the trial docket was disposed of, when Defendant Harris was arraigned in open court on Monday, JUNE 4 ,2024, he pleaded GUILTY to the indictment.
According to section 14.3(a) of the New rape law of Liberia, any person who at the time of the relevant act or immediately before it began, was using violence against the victim or causing the victim to fear that immediate violence would be used against him/her. The court further says even though the defendant pleaded guilty to the indictment, Section 16.4 of the Criminal procedure law gives the judge the discretionary power to impose sentence, since Rape is not a capital offence as envisages by Section 14.70(4)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv) and (b) the New rape law, which makes a First degree rape a Felony of the First degree grading and sentencing.
On the other hand,’’ the Crime of statutory Rape is a Felony, hence any imposition of a sentence must adhere to the RAPE law.’’
With all of these references mentioned, the presiding Judge for the May A.D. 2024 term of court at the 16th judicial circuit court Cllr. Wesseh A. Wesseh imposed a sentence term of 40 years with a day covering the period of his arrest on May 17,2024 to May 17,2064.