… he was also found guilty of battery 

Staff reporter 

Wamrong drungkhag court last week sentenced a 22-year-old from Kurchilo of Lumang gewog in Trashigang to nine years in prison for the rape of a minor.

Sonam Jamtsho, from Kurichilo in Lumang gewog met with the victim on social media, Facebook. The victim was 15 years old at the time of the incident in 2021.

They lived as a couple in Babesa, Thimphu. The two then moved to his village.

Sonam Jamtsho was also found guilty of physically abusing the victim. The girl was also a victim of domestic violence and he had beaten her, the judgement stated.

“After the victim had arguments with Sonam Jamtsho, she was slapped and kicked,” the judgement states. “One day, when the victim was at her friend’s house, he tied her to a pillar and beat her again.”

The victim reported to Wamrong police station around 5:30pm on February 4, this year.

The Penal Code states that if a person commits any sexual intercourse against a child between the ages of 12 and 18 years, he or she will be guilty of rape of a minor above 12 years. However, consensual sex between children of sixteen years and above shall not be deemed to be rape.

The crime is graded as a second-degree felony with a prison term of a minimum of nine years and a maximum of fifteen years.