Crushed flowers

Several cases of incest were reported to police stations in different parts of the country recently. Incest is a criminal offence under the law of the land. The word incest means sexual intercourse between persons closely related so that they are forbidden by law to marry.

It can happen between a father and a daughter or between a brother and a sister of a family. Incest is a criminal offence and coupled with rape is a degrading mode of sexual violence which had been condemned by civilised countries in the world.

Even during the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian, laws were enacted to ban forbidden marriages and such practices. Marriages between prohibited degrees like father and daughter, mother and son and brothers and sisters were forbidden as it was against the order of nature. In USA alone Police are searching for 100,000 sex offenders.

Police try to keep children away from these predators.

Last week a man aged 36, a labourer was arrested for cohabiting with his eldest daughter aged 14 years. The incident happened at Medikele - Weerapokuna about 6 kilometres from Bingiriya town. The man was a father of three young daughters.

The sordid affair had gone on for two years. The man after chasing his wife from home had lived with his eldest daughter as husband and wife. His other two daughters had also lived in the same house during the absence of their mother.

They are aged 11 and 9 years. According to their neighbours the girl's mother had left the house after she became insane two years ago. Although her whereabouts are not known to anyone in the neighbourhood she drops in at her home once in a while to sweep the compound.

The affair between the father and her daughter began during the mother's absence. About one and half years ago it was a teacher at school who detected the affair. However after making discreet inquiries about it from the girl the matter was hushed up due to unknown reasons.

But the affair was exposed after the girl attended her niece's coming of age ceremony. Her aunt Priyanka had invited the girl to her home to look after her daughter who had attained age. A function was arranged by her aunt to celebrate the occasion. Her relatives and friends gathered on the occasion to wish Priyanka's daughter.

A few days after the ceremony the girl refused to go back to her father. She cried incessantly and Priyanka's daughter was eager to find out the reason. With tears wailing in her eyes she confessed to her niece, that she was sexually abused by her father after her mother left them.

She told her that her father had threatened to harm her if she revealed anything about it to them or to her aunt. Her niece was aghast after learning of what happened to the poor girl. She noticed the glimmer of life in her eyes were snuffed out. In the meantime her aunt Priyanka too came to know about it and was shocked beyond words.

With the help of family members they rang up the police emergency number 119 and informed them of the incident. The police Emergency Unit contacted the Bingiriya police station and instructed them to investigate the complaint. OIC Crimes Bingiriya police station, Sub Inspector Ratnayake visited the house and recorded the statement of the victim.

The girl had told the police that she was sexually abused by her father ever since her mother had left them in the lurch. She had stopped going to school as she was physically abused by her father. Police later arrested the father and recorded his statement.

He admitted having sexually abused his daughter but had told police that he took precautions not to make her pregnant. The girl victim was examined by doctors at the Chilaw hospital who confirmed that there was evidence of being sexually abused.

The suspect was taken before courts and was remanded till investigations are completed. Bingiriya police told the Sunday Observer that they had to record the statement of her aunt Priyanka and a few more witnesses.

The news spread in the village fast and was on everybody's lips. Acting OIC Bingiriya Inspector W. Senaratne along with OIC Crimes Sub -Inspector R.M. Ratnayake and Sub Inspector Shiran Fernando are conducting further investigations.

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