Sexual offences committed against young people continue to be a concern and according to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, last month a 64-year-old man was charged with the rape of his 5-year-old granddaughter while a 29-year-old man was charged with one count of rape of his 4-year-old stepson.
The ODPP says 11 of the 18 victims of rape and sexual offences that occurred last month were under the age of 18.
According to the ODPP, there were 18 reports filed in the High Court with a total of 40 counts of sexual offences.
They say the counts for sexual offences include rape (26), indecent assault (1), defilement (1) and sexual assault (12).
The ODPP says out of the 18 accused, one was a juvenile.
They add that of the 18 victims, 17 were female and one male.
There were also eight incidents where the victims and the accused were related to one another.
Looking at the cases, a 47-year-old man was charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of his 15-year-old stepdaughter, while a 44-year-old man was charged with two counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault in another incident.
In another incident, a 36-year-old man was charged with two counts of rape of his 10-year-old stepdaughter, while a 55-year-old man was charged with the rape of his 63-year-old former partner.
A 23-year-old man was charged with one count of rape of his 17-year-old cousin while in another incident, a 30-year-old man was charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault of his 19-year-old cousin.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy was charged with one count of rape of a 22-year-old woman.
A 55-year-old man was charged with four counts of rape of a 17-year-old girl while in another incident, a 35-year-old man was charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
A 25-year-old man was charged with one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. The accused is known to the victim’s family.
There was one incident where a 22-year-old man was charged with one count of defilement of a 14-year-old girl.
