Seven Teachers College students in Port Moresby charged with Rape
Seven students from Sacred Heart Teachers College and an outsider were arrested and charged by the police and were detained at Boroko Police Station for sexually penetrating a female student outside a settlement near the school on October 20th, 2024.
Acting NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Mazuc Rubiang confirmed that the seven students and the other man had been charged and are now detained in the cell. He said according to a police report it was alleged that the students who were mostly from Western Highlands one from Enga and the other man from the settlement were having a drinking speer after their cultural show at the school when the incident happened in the early hours of the morning.
He added that the report stated that the seven Western Highlands students are doing their first, second, and third year respectively, and the other first-year student from Enga attending the college left school after the cultural show. He said the students went out of the school to have some alcohol when the six male students and other men from the settlement sexually penetrated the female student.
He said the 20-year-old girl who was with the other two girls was picked up by one of the perpetrators who called the victim and advised her that he was travelling on a taxi cab to the school to pick them up.
"While at the school, he called the victim and advised that he would pick up her and two other girls so they could go out and have a few drinks outside the school. At 5 p.m., he arrived at the school and picked up the girls and two other boys, who drove out of the school to a nearby settlement, which was identified as Bomana Turn Off. From there, they drank alcohol when the incident happened, Rubiang said.
He said that while they were enjoying their alcohol one of the lady who wanted to use the loo asked the victim if she could escort her to relieve herself. After that, while returning back, one man came from the back and pulled the victim. She managed to push him away when one of the students' perpetrators walked the only Engan in the group of the Western Highlands boys. The boys also walked behind her, grabbed her, and pushed her to the ground.
Supt Rubiang said that since the man was too strong, he overpowered the weak girl, trying to seek help by calling her friends. Her mouth was covered while the boy pushed her around, making her too weak to fight back.
He said that when he started to rape her when the other seven joined. The victim identified the students through the clothes they were wearing.
Supt Mazuc said that after the incident, one of the perpetrators assisted the victim back to the school. She was too weak after going through all this and had to rest. She then recovered and reported the matter to the school authority, who then assisted her to the hospital and then to the Sexual Offence Squad office.
"The students were identified and were brought to the police station by the school administration. They were then cautioned and charged and are now detained in the cell. They were all charged with rape under Section 347 (1) of the Criminal Code Act. Rubiang said.
"I also want to appeal to girls and even females when going out drinking with a group of boys which you are not related to stop doing that. We had seen an increase in rape, murder and other serious cases, so please refrain from going out, Rubiang added.
He further called on the girls and females to be mindful of who they go out with and where they go.
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