Since the beginning of this week, there have been a huge pile of reported rape cases emerging from Criminal Court "A" and the Monrovia City Court.

Yesterday, a man who is believed to be in his late 30s and resides in the Fiamah Community was charged with Statutory Rape of an 11-year old minor.

According to the Magistrate charge sheet, the alleged perpetrator admitted having sexual intercourse with the minor. In his admittance, he narrated how he approached the little girl sometime ago and she did consent.

The incident occurred on Monday at about 11:00 a.m. and according to the survival, she was grabbed by the defendant while in search of a plum that had dropped from a nearby tree. The minor who explained to the police in the presence of her parents said that the defendant took her behind a wall and placed his hand over her mouth and had sexual intercourse with her.

Since the start of the week, this is the second reported rape case to be taken to the Temple of Justice. On Tuesday, it was also reported that one Briggs, aged 20, along with his friend Abraham, 19, raped a 14-year old minor on Duport Road, Cowfield.

According to the charge sheet dated May 26, 2008, Briggs and Abraham were charged with 'Gang Rape' which is a grave offence under the law of the country regarding rape.

The survival explained how she was sexually abused by the two accused from May 17-22, 2008. In her narration to the Police, the survival said that she left her grandparent's home because she was accused of stealing plum.

"It was when I got in contact with Briggs and Abraham. They had sex with me and at night my body, head and stomach can be hurting. Right now I am sick and I am not feeling well because of the thing the two boys did to me," the girl explained.

Meanwhile, the two accused and one perpetrator are being incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison awaiting court trial.

It is glaring that more rape cases are surfacing and most of said cases are being reported unlike in the past, but what is being done is that because the crime is a first degree felony and non-baillable offence under the rape law, alleged perpetrators are being whisked off to prison just by the pronouncement of said act.

It was observed during the opening of this term of court that rape cases again were the highest on the docket but what is more troubling is that the adjudication process is slow and that perpetrators and or alleged perpetrators are languishing in prison while the survivals are left unattended to or their medical records not followed up to know their status.