A High Court in the town of Bor, Jonglei state on Thursday sentenced a 35-year-old man to seven years in jail after he was found guilty of raping a minor in September last year.
“The last judgment, in this case, is that the accused person Maghai Manyang Duop to be convicted under Section 247, Penal Code Act 2008, and to be jailed for seven years as from the day of his arrest on September 5, 2020,” Justice John Yel Aleu, the presiding judge, said Thursday while reading out the court ruling.
The court official also ordered the convict to pay five cows as compensation to the family of the rape victim per Dinka Bor customary law.
According to Justice Yel, who also serves as the president of the Jonglei High Court, Magai Manyang has 15 days to appeal his conviction.
Manyang Ngueny, the prosecution lawyer, welcomed the verdict, saying it will help deter rapists and serve as justice for the victim.
Meanwhile, Maghai said his conviction was unlawful, and that he will appeal the court ruling in Juba.
“No rape had happened. The girl escaped from her family in the IDP camp and came to my home in my absentia. After my return, I found her and asked my wife about her, and she told me that she was her relative. So, I considered the young girl my inlaw. I did not bother. Later I was surprised by this allegation as her family forced me to marry her but I refused,” he said.
According to the Penal Code, 2008, whoever commits an offense of rape upon conviction shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years and may also be liable to a fine.