Hefty 26-year jail sentences for rapists

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Hefty 26-year jail sentences for rapists

PORT MORESBY: Two men who gang-raped a woman nine years ago in Port Moresby were jailed a total of 52 years by the Waigani National Court on Monday (May 17, 2021).

The hefty jail sentences serve as a reminder to those who harbour any intent to satisfy their lust by force.

Here is what Justice Teresa Berrigan had to say when jailing the duo 26 years each, as reported by The National:

Rapists get 26yrs each

May 20, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By ZEDAIAH KANAU
TWO men who gang-raped a woman nine years ago in Port Moresby were jailed a total of 52 years by the Waigani National Court on Monday.
Describing the crime as “degrading, callous and cruel”, Justice Teresa Berrigan jailed Lolo Bellamy, 30, and Hobai Haro 35, 26 years each.
“The fundamental rights and freedom of every person are enshrined in the Constitution,” the judge said.
“Women are entitled to the protection of those rights.”
“They are entitled to go about their lives, to feel free, safe and equal in their homes, when walking in their village, town or settlement, at any time of the day or night, whether going to or from school, collecting water from the river, travelling on the highway, going to the market, to or from work, socialising in a party, or dancing in a nightclub.
“Rape is an assault on those rights.”
Justice Berrigan said “rape in the company of others, or rape committed by a “gang” or “pack” of men, “only exacerbates that fear and diminishes further the fundamental rights and freedom enjoyed by women”.
“The offences in this case, committed against a young woman, while she was walking about in the very place in which she had grown up, by the very people she had grown up with, demonstrates the attitude of some men,” she added.
“At the time of the offence, the victim was taunted for being a woman alone without her male protectors.
“At trial, she was blamed for the offence and accused of lying.
“It was the defence case that because the victim had been drinking, because she was walking around, at night, on her own, she was to blame for what happened, and that as such she should have and would have been so ashamed that she falsely accused Bellamy and Haro.
“The victim had nothing to be ashamed of. Regardless of where she was, what time of night it was, or how much alcohol she had consumed.”
Justice Berrigan deducted six years, nine months and five days spent in custody by both men leave them with a balance of 19 years, two months and 25 days which would be served with hard labour at Bomana.
Between 10pm and 11pm, on Jan 20, 2012, the woman left her house in Erima, Port Moresby, to go and find her brother, when she was struck on the head with a bottle by a man who had earlier been involved in an altercation with her brother causing a deep laceration.
She walked away and as she neared Bellamy’s house, he came out from the gate.
He lured her into the yard to attend to her head.
Once inside the yard, he left her briefly before returning with Haro and another man, Douba Kapina (also convicted and jailed).
They dragged her away to a banana garden where they tore off her clothes and held her down.
The three took turns raping her before she crawled away and alerted a neighbour.