The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The 23-year-old suspect who was arrested and detained for raping a minor in the evening of March 11 at around 9 pm in Haa has been granted bail by the Haa Dzongkhag Court last week. The case was forwarded to the court on April 3 after the investigation was completed by the police.
An amended version of Section 183 of the Penal Code (amendment) Act of Bhutan 2011, reads that a defendant shall be guilty of the offence of rape of a child above the age of twelve years if the defendant commits any act of sexual intercourse against a child between the ages of twelve to eighteen years.
However, consensual sex between children of sixteen years and above shall not be deemed to be rape.
The sentencing of the Section 183, as amended, is a second degree felony for the offence of rape of a child above the age of twelve while earlier it was a third degree felony.
The suspect was charged with the offence of raping a child above 12 years by the police. If the suspect is convicted, he might be slapped with a prison term of a minimum of nine years and a maximum of which shall be less than 15 years.
The suspect has refused to confess to the crime. However, medical reports have confirmed that the girl was raped.
The suspect was a regular customer at a bar owned by the victim’s elder sister. The suspect had sexually assaulted the girl outside the bar. The elder sister, after seeing the suspect leaning on her sister had called the police. The victim was traumatized and unable to give her statement to police.
The medical examination on the victim confirmed there was penetration and it ruled that the victim was raped. The suspect was then arrested by police based on the medical report.
The suspect is from Dagana and was reportedly in the drunkard state when the incident took place. The victim is a student studying in one of the schools in Haa
Chencho Dema/ Thimphu
