A BA man was sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the High Court in Lautoka for raping an intellectually handicapped man.

In meting out the sentence, Justice Thushara Rajasinghe said the act of rape was the worst form of sexual offence.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that the perpetrator committed the offence on March 5 last year.

The perpetrator was drinking kava at a friend’s place when the victim came there to have his dinner.

The accused waited for the victim to finish eating and while escorting him home forced the intellectually-challenged man into a nearby cassava plantation and raped him.

Justice Rajasinghe jailed the accused for eight years with a non-parole period of six years.

Justice Rajasinghe also gave the perpetrator 30 days to appeal the sentence.