Police accused of compromise

The Margibi County police detachment has been accused of compromising a rape case in the county. A reliable source hinted this paper that money changed hands between the police and the alleged rape suspect, who is reportedly being protected against the law.

The mother of the victim, told reporters in Bassa Community, Kakata that medical report has proven that her daughter was raped, but the police had always discouraged her from pursuing the case.

Medical report from the C. H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata, Margibi proves that the girl was sexually abused. The case is being handled by the Women and Children Protection Section of the Liberia National Police Detachment in Kakata.

Madam Victoria Sumowu also accused the police of constantly telling her that she does not have a case because the issue has no magnitude. She said despite extracting statements from her daughter and the alleged rapist coupled with medical report, the police had always told the family: “You go home; this case is hard.”

“ I said but this case is hard, what you mean by the case is hard? They said the girl walked to the boy’s house. I said when the girl walked to the boy’s house, should he have the girl like this?” she lamented.

Madam Sumowu refuted that her daughter did go to the perpetrator’s house, clarifying that the girl was selling when the accused called her in to make a purchase at which time he allegedly raped her.

She also expressed disappointment in the police that the case has been before them since August 2015 with no resolution. According to her, family members of the accused went to beg for mercy, but she rejected their plead, adding that they gave her 50 Liberians Dollars, which she is keeping as Fruit of the Crime or FOC.

The head of the Women and Children Protection Section of the LNP in Kakata, Thompson Gbassege, said the accused is being guaranteed and the investigation could take up to year or more.

When asked whether he received any medical report from the hospital, Thompson harshly said, he does not know if he received medical report relating to that case and refused to provide further detail on grounds that investigation was still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Madam Martha Bull, a nurse at the C. H. Rennie Hospital, who examined the raped victim, said the police have frowned at her for releasing such report when the girl allegedly walked to go to the perpetrator’s house.

By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. from Margibi – Edited by Jonathan Browne