Foreign National Charged for Alleged Child Exploitation

The Criminal Investigation Department has charged a 70-year-old foreign national for offences linked to alleged child exploitation.

A team consisting of officers from CID headquarters and CID Sigatoka investigated the reports where the accused is alleged to have committed the offences involving the two complainants aged 13 and 14 on three different occasions in January, April and May this year.

In the first incident in January, the accused is alleged to have performed a sexual act in front of the 13-yearold complainant.

The second incident reported to have occurred earlier this month, also involving the 13-year-old boy whereby the accused is alleged to have sexually assaulted the complainant in his home.

The complainant had accompanied the accused on a rafting trip, after which they returned to his Sigatoka home. After dinner, the complainant said he felt unwell and wanted to rest.

The complainant reported that the accused is alleged to have sexually assaulted him on the same night.

The accused is also alleged to have, during the Easter weekend, indecently insulted the second complainant, a 14-year-old boy by depicting a sexual act using adult toys.

The accused has been charged with one count of sexual assault, and two counts of Indecently Insulting or annoying any person.

He was produced in a special court sitting at the Magistrates Court in Sigatoka last Saturday before Magistrate Joseph Daurewa.

The accused sought for Legal Aid Commission’s counsel to represent him in the matter.

Police Prosecution objected to bail and requested for the accused to be remanded in custody for 14 days for investigation in other similar cases. The accused sought bail as he stated that he was not a danger to the public. He also stated that his appeal was pending in Immigration Department.

Magistrate Daurewa ruled that the Prosecution should file an investigating officer’s affidavit in regards to the accused’s status in Immigration, whether he was a flight risk and also about the pending investigation.

The accused has been remanded in Police custody and the matter has been adjourned to May 16 for bail hearing.