Translated from FaaSamoa by Nicole Palamo-Wilson. Three men appeared in the Supreme Court this week, charged with indecent acts against a 9-year-old minor.
The matter was reported to Police in May of this year (2023). Police launched an investigation and charged the three men for incidents that are alleged to have occurred between 2010 and 2013, starting when the victim was just nine years old.
A man in his late 20s is being charged with incest, while his grandfather and another man face charges of indecent assault and unlawful sexual connection.
The two older men are said to be friends, according to Police reports. They both entered ‘not guilty’ pleas through their lawyers, Tanya Toailoa and Frank Lagaaia.
The pair have been released on bail and ordered by Justice Niava Mata Tuatagaloa to surrender all travel documents and sign-in once a week at the Faleata Police Outpost.
They are also ordered to make no attempts to contact the victim or any of the witnesses.
The younger man was unrepresented in Court and has been granted time to secure a lawyer before answering to the charges against him.
The Court has set a trial date in March 2024.
