High Court orders retrial in stepfather’s child sexual abuse case, opening door to 20–25 year sentence

The High Court has ordered a retrial in the case of an elderly stepfather accused of sexually abusing his stepdaughter on an island in the south.

The charge, sexual abuse of a child by a person in a position of trust, was filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office in connection with an incident reported in 2011. The lower court had acquitted the defendant, ruling that the case had been filed after the investigation period had expired.

The prosecution appealed the decision, and the High Court has now quashed the lower court’s judgment and ordered a full retrial. The ruling was delivered unanimously by the High Court bench.

According to the case report, which was not made public, the stepfather is accused of touching the girl’s breasts and genitals while she was lying on her bed in her room. The settlement report states that the abuse occurred on multiple occasions.

Sexual acts involving a child by a person in a position of trust constitute one of the most serious offences under the Special Procedures Against Child Sexual Offenders Act. Such cases are typically prosecuted under Section 9, which criminalises sexual interactions between a child and a person in a position of trust. The offence carries a mandatory sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison, among the heaviest penalties under the Act.