Jailed 16 years for paying 12-year-old girl for sex

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Jailed 16 years for paying 12-year-old girl for sex

PORT MORESBY: A 45-year-old man who treated a 12-year-old girl as a prostitute and paid her for sex was jailed 16 years.

Justice Daniel Liosi presiding at the National Court in Kundiawa on Wednesday (Dec 1, 2021), said John Gondo, from Kerowagi’s Nek village in Chimbu, took advantage of the minor.

“Just because the girl willingly went to your house and engaged in sex in exchange for money did not mean she had consented as she was underage (or a minor),” he added.

Details of the court proceedings and sentencing were published by The National: 

16 years for paying minor for sex

December 3, 2021The NationalNational

By CHARLES MOI
A 45-year-old man who paid a girl, 12, for sex has been jailed by a court for 16 years.
Justice Daniel Liosi presiding at the National Court in Kundiawa on Wednesday, said the offender John Gondo, 45, of Nek village, Kerowagi district in Chimbu, took advantage of the underage victim.
Justice Liosi told the defendant that just because the victim had willingly gone to his house and engaged in sex in exchange for money did not mean she had consented as she was underage.
He said Gondo as the adult in the relationship needed to exercise a responsible and mature attitude and stop the encounters.
“This to me means you took advantage of the victim’s young age and her naivety to continue to lust for her and continued to have sex with her,” Justice Liosi said.
“The unsuspecting victim already knew what to expect, that is a K5 or K4 for every time you had sex not knowing she was being abused and exploited.
“This to me is an aggravating factor in itself.”
The judge deducted one year and five months from Gondo’s sentence for time spent in pre-trial custody.
Gondo will serve 14 years and seven months in jail.
The court heard that Gondo committed the offences over a three-month period (between March 1 and May 24, 2020) at Nek village. The court heard that Gondo induced the victim with money and had sex with her on several occasions at the village.
On May 24, Gondo was confronted by the victim’s father and the matter was then reported to the police at Kundiawa and he was arrested and charged with persistent sexual abuse.
Gondo pleaded guilty to the offence apologised to the victim and her family for his actions.
Gondo said he did not use threats or weapons to have sex with the victim.
He said he had been having sex with the victim for some time in exchange for money with the victim frequently visiting his house.
Justice Liosi in considering the law and submissions from lawyers on an appropriate penalty, noted the age of the victim.
“The consideration is that the younger the victim the more serious the offence,” Justice Liosi said.

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