Crime: Lhuentse dzongkhag court recently sentenced a 26-year-old man to eight-years, nine months and nine days in prison for raping a 14-year-old in September 2014.

The court found Kinzang Dorji from Umgar village Mitsho gewog guilty of statutory rape, in accordance to section 183. The section states that a defendant shall be guilty of the offence of rape of a child above the age of twelve years, if the defendant has sexual intercourse with a child between the age of 12 to 18 years and is considered a felony of the second degree.

Lhuentse police arrested Kinzang Dorji on October 4 2014, after gewog official informed them about the rape. The girl was brought for medical check up to Lhuentse hospital, which confirmed the rape.

The incident happened in the evening of September 26, last year, in a makeshift hut where the girl and her younger brother, were sleeping. The children were husking corn in the makeshift hut.

The girl didn’t inform anybody about the incident until her school authorities noticed her unusual behaviour and conducted an investigation of their own. Probably traumatised by the incident, her lack of interest in studies and unusual behaviour in school promoted the school authority to investigate. Finding that she was raped the school informed the gewog administration.

Police arrested the man and detained him.

Kinzang Dorji admitted to the crime in the court. The court also ordered the defendant to compensate the victim, but the victim’s mother had denied the compensation, the verdict stated.

The defendant is a gomchen.

By Tashi Phuntsho , Mongar

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