A single man convicted of raping his work colleague in the presence of her one-year-old child while intoxicated has been jailed for eight years.
The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of rape committed around 11pm on January 24 this year.
He broke into the 37-year-old victim’s house, used both hands to choke her, and sexually violated her while the child was watching. He then dragged the victim outside and raped her again.
In his sentence, Justice Lee James Burney noted that as a first offender, he did not find it necessary or appropriate to ‘warehouse’ the man.
“In my view, you should be given every opportunity to avail yourself of opportunities for rehabilitation,” the judge said at the High Court in Labasa.
The man will be eligible for parole after serving five years and two months of his sentence.
