The High Court in Labasa has sentenced a 39-year-old man to 24 years in prison for a prolonged period of sexual abuse against his step-daughter, whose resulting pregnancy finally exposed his crimes.
The man was found guilty in August after a trial before Justice Lee Burney on one representative count of indecent assault and three representative counts of rape.
The offences occurred over a four-year period, from 2020 to 2023, while the victim was between the ages of 11 and 15.
In a sentencing decision delivered on October 9, Justice Lee Burney condemned the accused actions as a “gross breach of trust,” highlighting that the man he was supposed to protect her had instead become her abuser.
The court heard that the abuse began with indecent assaults when the girl was in Class 6 and escalated to repeated rape. The offending often took place on Fridays when the victim returned from boarding school and her mother was away selling produce at the Labasa Market.
The crimes came to light in 2024 when it was discovered the victim was pregnant. She gave birth on June 17, 2024.
During the sentencing hearing, the State prosecutor read a powerful Victim Impact Statement from the young woman, who cannot be named to protect her identity.
“You betrayed all that trust from the moment you started touching me, raping me,” the statement read.
“You made me pregnant. You ruined my life, my dreams and the things I wanted to achieve in life. I hate you and I will never consider you as part of my family. You need to pay for the crime that you have committed.”
In his decision, Justice Burney stated that while deterrence was a factor, his principal focus was on denunciation.
“By denouncing sexual offending against children in the strongest terms, sentencing courts help to shape societal values,” Justice Burney said.
“Education through denunciation reinforces law-abiding and decent citizens’ rejection of sexual abuse of children.”
The judge imposed a head sentence of 24 years’ imprisonment for the most recent rape in 2023, using it as the lead offence.
Taking into account the time the accused had already spent in custody on remand, the court set his non-parole period at 15 years and 5 months, meaning he must serve at least that time before being eligible for release on parole.
The court also issued a Permanent Domestic Violence Restraining Order against Tuoca, prohibiting him from contacting or molesting the victim.
