The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Wangdue Phodrang District Court has sentenced a 51-year-old man from Samtse to three years and six months imprisonment after finding him guilty of two counts of child molestation committed against his two stepdaughters.
The judgment, passed on 6th July 2026, convicted Dophu of child molestation, a fourth-degree felony, for offences committed against the two girls while they were living with him in Wangdue Phodrang.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in a total prison term of three years and six months.
According to the judgment, the case originated from a report submitted to the Pema Secretariat, following which investigators established credible grounds to charge the accused.
The victims alleged that Dophu had repeatedly subjected them to physical punishment and had also touched their private body parts on multiple occasions.
The court noted that the abuse became so distressing that the girls left their home and stayed at a friend’s house for nearly two weeks rather than continue living with the accused.
During the proceedings, Dophu denied all allegations.
He told the court that he had cared for the children following their mother’s death and that any disciplinary action he took was solely because the children spent excessive time on mobile phones instead of studying.
He further claimed that the allegations had been fabricated at the instigation of malicious individuals but was unable to identify those persons or produce evidence to support the claim.
The court found that the victims had consistently recounted the incidents during the police investigation, medical examinations and school counselling sessions.
According to the judgment, the younger victim first disclosed the alleged abuse, followed separately by her elder sister, with both stating that the molestation had occurred repeatedly.
The judgment further notes that rumours regarding the alleged molestation had already circulated within the community before the investigation.
An expert psychological assessment presented before the court found that both victims exhibited signs of trauma, insecurity, physical distress and fear of men, findings that were consistent with victims of molestation.
Relying on the victims’ testimonies, the psychological assessment and other corroborating evidence, the court found Dophu guilty of child molestation against both victims.
No compensation was awarded in the case after the victims’ biological father formally waived any claim for compensation.
Police arrested the accused in April last year.
