Police arrest suspect in alleged attempted rape incident in North West Guadalcanal

Police in Guadalcanal Province have arrested a 28-year-old male suspect in connection with an alleged attempted sexual assault incident in 2017 at Boneghe Beach in North West Guadalcanal.

The victim is a 45-year-old female foreign national who was at the Beach on 17 September 2017 with two other colleagues for recreation purposes.

Supervising Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Guadalcanal Province, Superintendent Nixson Manetoga says, “The suspect was arrested on 6 January 2019 in the Boneghe area, and was charged with attempted rape. He was remanded in custody by the Honiara Central Magistrates Court to appear in Court on 22 January 2019.”

“Despite the length of time that it has taken to arrest the suspect, it shows that the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in Guadalcanal Province will continue to investigate any reported cases in this province, and when adequate evident is gathered, the suspect will be arrested and charged accordingly,” says Supervising PPC Manetoga.

He adds: “The arrest of the suspect demonstrates the hard work of my officers and at the same time it shows the support of community members for the work of the police to bring the suspect to face justice. I commend my officers and members of the community for their effort resulting in the arrest of the suspect.”

“The message I want to send to our visitors is: always make sure you are not alone at any remote area. Solomon Islands is a safe country but like any other country in the world, there are a few people who spoil it for the rest. Always check with the local police that the spot you are planning to go is safe,” says PPC Manetoga.