Charles Cirilo, national security personnel during GBV court session in Juba - Credit | Eye Radio - November 9, 2022

The gender-based violence court on Wednesday sentenced national security personnel to 10 years imprisonment for defiling a 14-year-old deaf girl.

Charles Cirilo, 30, committed the crime in his neighborhood in the Munuki residential area mid-this year.

The presiding judge stated that the unnamed survivor was fetching water at a borehole when Cirilo sexually assaulted her.

She had left home without the notice of her mother.

After a long search, she was found crying while standing at the gate of a public toilet adjacent to the borehole.

Following a harsh beating, the underage girl using sign language narrated, she was abused.

This prompted the family to carry out a medical examination and file a case, leading to Cirilo’s arrest.

Upon his indictment, the security officer denied the act despite the survivor identifying him as the perpetrator.

But on Wednesday, Judge Francis Amum found him guilty of the crime and handed him a 10-year jail term with a fine of one million South Sudanese pounds.

The Judge found Charles Cirilo guilty of violating section 247 of the South Sudan Penal Act 2008.

“The convict is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for defilement in contravention of section 247/2 penal act 2008. ,” said Judge Amum.

“The convict must pay the tune of 1,000,000 SSP, as reparation to the survivor by means of civil proceedings,

“The perpetrator attitudes towards women and girls are rehabilitated and integrated into a society where gender equality and non-discrimination prevail.

The convict is advised that he has a right to enjoy an automatic right of appeal against conviction, legality, and severity of the sentence within 15 days.”

For her part, the mother of survival welcomes the verdict, describing the court process as tiresome.

“When this happened, I was not comfortable psychologically, I felt ashamed when I walked on the road.  And today, after the verdict was issued to imprison the criminals, the joy is not enough,” said the mother.

“My message to the mothers is to thank God, and you have had such a problem, so all you must do is follow the law and report the incident,

“I couldn’t believe that today would be the final verdict because we’re tired of coming and going to court since June,

“I remember well when this problem occurred, I beat the girl to talk and this has put her in a bad psychological state, and she stopped eating and talking to us,

“She was traumatized but I sat with her, and talked in a quiet way, and she returned to her normal life.”