A 46 year-old man identified as Kelvin Jerry Dureng has been forwarded to the Monrovia Central Prison (South Beach) by the Monrovia City Court Magistrate L. Ben Barco for allegedly raping a minor in the Old Road Community on April 21, 2024, and has since been on the run.
Defendant Dureng was arrested on December 19, 2024, charged and acquainted with his Miranda rights and duly investigated and forwarded to court by the Liberia National Police (LNP) for the crime of RAPE.
According to police charge sheet, Defendant Dureng’s action is in violation 14.70 (a) (i) & (b) OF THE RAPE LAW OF LIBERIA.
During an interview with the survivor, she said on April 21, 2024, her uncle Kelvin Jerry Dureng called her grandma by phone requesting them to visit his home which they did in evening hours of the same day.
While getting ready to go back home, the survivor said Defendant Dureng, her uncle, pleaded with her grandmother that she stays with him to take care of his five years old daughter and her grandma agreed.
She said during night-falls, the defendant had sex with her on three different occasions by inserting his penis in her vagina and later shaved out all the hair on her head.
However, the defendant denied having sexual intercourse with the victim but admitted that his mother, Dolly Amatchin, left the victim with him to take care of his five years old daughter. But he had a terrible dream the first night the victim slept in his room, accusing her of performing spiritual acts and suppressing his destiny. So, he carried her to a deliverance minister who cut her hair.
The following facts were established during the investigation; that the survivor is 13 years old while defendant Kelvin Jerry Dureng is 46 years old as the defendant had power over the survivor.
Witnesses Dolly Amatchin and Decontee Fahnbulleh’s statements corroborated that since the incident took place in April 2024, the defendant has been on the run and it was established that the survivor and the defendant were in contact the day of the incident, April 21, 2024.
Police charge sheet indicated that the defendant intentionally, knowingly, willingly abused the survivor, as the medical report from J.D.J. confirmed abnormal redness seen on both sides of the vaginal wall.
Based on the facts and circumstances established during the investigation, the investigator resolved and charge defendant Kelvin Jerry Dureng with the commissioned of the crime RAPE in VIOLATION OF SECTION 14.70 1 (a)(i) & (b) OF THE RAPE LAW OF LIBERIA, and forwarded to Court.
By T.Q. Lula Jaurey
