-For Sexually Molesting a 4-Year-Old Girl
By Shallon S. Gonlor
Nimba County – A 62-year-old man identified as Pa Harris Gleemen has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment for attempting to rape a four-year-old girl in Ganta City, Nimba County. The sentencing was handed down on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 by Resident Judge Musa S. Sidibey at the Sexual Offenses Division Court of the 8th Judicial Circuit in Sanniquellie following a week-long bench trial.
The horrific incident occurred on Sunday, March 9, 2025 in the JEP Compound within LPMC Community where Gleemen allegedly lured the young victim behind some boxes and attempted to sexually assault her. Community members raised an alarm and caught him in the act, leading to his immediate arrest. Police investigations revealed that the perpetrator had removed the child’s clothes and left visible injuries including redness and fresh sores around her genital area, though medical examination confirmed there was no full penetration.
During the trial, the prosecution presented compelling evidence including the victim’s medical report, eyewitness testimonies from community members who saw Gleemen with the child, and a presentencing investigation report from probation officers. Judge Sidibey noted that while the defendant maintained his innocence and claimed the accusation stemmed from a water dispute between his workplace and the victim’s mother, the overwhelming evidence proved his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard that Gleemen was seen drinking alcohol at a local spot prior to the incident, and community members testified about his history of drunken behavior which had previously caused his wife to leave him. Despite his claims of being framed, Judge Sidibey emphasized that the medical evidence of slight penetration using his hands, combined with the eyewitness accounts, left no room for reasonable doubt regarding his culpability.
In his final ruling, Judge Sidibey sentenced Gleemen to the maximum ten years prescribed for second-degree felony rape under Section 26:14.70 of Liberia’s Penal Law, with six years to be served at Sanniquellie Central Prison and the remaining four years under probation supervision. The judge stressed that the sentence serves both punitive and rehabilitative purposes, noting that the correctional facility incorporates deterrence, correction, and reintegration programs.
