Rejang Lebong Police Reveals Cases Of Child Sexual Violence, Abused While Sleeping In Rented

Illustration of violence in children (ANTARA)

REJANG LEBONG - Resort Police (Polres) Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu, arrested a suspected perpetrator of sexual abuse against minors in the area. The perpetrator committed sexual abuse incident while sleeping in a rented house. Rejang Lebong Police Chief AKBP Tonny Kurniawan accompanied by Head of Criminal Investigation Unit AKP Sampson Sosa Hutapea said the case occurred on January 17, 2023, and the perpetrator was arrested last Monday night at around 22.00 WIB. "The suspect was MF, a 20-year-old youth whose address is in Dusun Curup Village, North Curup District, Rejang Lebong Regency," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, March 28. He explained that the incident of the obscenity case occurred in a rented house in the New Port area, Central Curup District, on January 17, 2023 at around 23.00 WIB. The chronology of the incident of this obscenity case, he said, began at that time the victim with the initials AS (12) at around 20.00 WIB was picked up by two of his friends with the initials EC and ZI staying at their rented house in Curup Tengah Village, Curup Tengah District. Not long after arriving at his friend's house, the suspect MF came to his friend's rented and became acquainted and chatted until late at night. The suspect then at around 22.30 WIB asked the victim to sleep in the front of the house, while the owner of the bed in the room. In the middle room of this rented house the suspect was then molested by the suspect, while the victim did not dare to fight for fear of the suspect.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Rejang Lebong Police, AKP Spson Sosa Hutapea, explained that this case was revealed after the victim told her mother what happened and then the family made a report to the Rejang Lebong Police Headquarters. The suspect MF was charged with investigating officers under Article 76E in conjunction with Article 82 of Law No. 35/2014, concerning Child Protection with a minimum penalty of 5 years and a maximum of 15 years in prison or a maximum fine of IDR 5 billion.