Three male defendants sentenced to prison for assaulting female victims in Temotu Province

Three male defendants, all in their 30s, from Duff Islands in Temotu Province have been sentenced from nine to 11 months in imprisonment by a visiting Magistrate to Lata on 16 August 2019 after been found guilty of charges of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The charges relate to separate incidents which occurred on 1 August 2018, 10 December 2018 and 17 April 2019 at Kahula Village in the Duff Islands.

All the three defendants were charged with single counts of assault causing actual bodily harm in relation to the separate incidents which were committed against female victims.

Two of the defendants were sentenced to 11 months imprisonment each and the third defendant was sentenced to nine months in prison.

Provincial Police Commander, Temotu Province, Superintendent James Toaki calls on people in the province not to take the law into their own hands and respect vulnerable members of our communities including women.

“I call on female victims to report any allegations of assault against them to the police and not to allow such incidents to happen without coming forward to the police. This is to discourage especially men from taking advantage of the vulnerability of women in our communities,” PPC Toaki emphasises.