Brig. Gen. Yay Wol Deng at a tea place in Aweil Town before the court sentence. Photo: Curtesy

The High Court in Aweil town of Northern Bhar El gazal has sentenced a senior SSPDF officer to five years imprisonment for defiling a 13- year-old school girl.

Yay Wol Deng who pleaded guilty of the offense is a Brigadier General in South Sudan Peoples Defense Forces.

According to the court, the 55-year-old man committed the crime at Wun-Yik area of Aweil East County in August last year.

The convict is a married man with five wives

Deng was living with the minor in the same compound when he defiled her.

The court findings showed that the convict sneaked into the girl’s room at night and raped her.

The girl later reported the matter to the mother, prompting his arrest.

The high Court found Mr. Deng guilty of defilement and handed him a five-year jail term and a fine of 100,000 South Sudanese pounds.

Justice Mathiang Wach Mathiang delivered the sentence on Wednesday during the High Court Criminal session held in Aweil Town.

“After deliberating the procedures, it was proven to the court that he committed this crime.”, Justice Mathiang disclosed.

The prosecution lawyer Akok Aril Ngor welcomed the verdict but says the court sentence favored the convict by imprisoning him for only five years contrary to the provision on the penal court.

“According to the provisions of Article247 , the second paragraph, which states that the accused shall be sentenced if convicted of 14 years”, Ngor argued.

According to section 247 of the Penal Code, whosoever has sexual intercourse or carnal intercourse with another person below the age of 18 years shall not be deemed to be consent, and commits the offence of rape, and upon conviction, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years and may also be liable to a fine.