Sixteen individuals faced a total of 63 charges related to sexual offences in July, according to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The charges include rape, attempted rape, aiding and abetting rape, abduction of a young person, and sexual assault.
Among the accused, three were juveniles. Of the 16 victims involved, 12 were under the age of 18, comprising four males and 12 females.
There were 10 cases where the victims and accused were related. In one instance, a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy were charged with the rape of a 12-year-old girl; the 17-year-old also faced charges of aiding and abetting and attempted rape. Another 15-year-old boy was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl.
A 65-year-old man was charged with the rape and sexual assault of his 6-year-old granddaughter. In separate cases, a 40-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were charged with the rape and sexual assault of their 12-year-old stepdaughters.
A 31-year-old man faced three charges of raping his 8-year-old male cousin, while a 44-year-old man was charged with three counts of raping his 14-year-old niece. Another incident involved a 35-year-old man charged with the rape and sexual assault of his 19-year-old sister-in-law.
A case against a 26-year-old man charged with 10 counts of raping his 14-year-old niece was discontinued as the victim was out of the country and could not testify. A 27-year-old man was charged with six counts of rape, abduction of a young person, criminal intimidation, and assault causing actual bodily harm to a 17-year-old girl he was dating.
Additionally, a 63-year-old man was charged with three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of a 33-year-old woman. In one case, a 42-year-old man was charged with raping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy. Another 42-year-old man faced six counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault involving a 16-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy.