A 45 year old man was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by the High Court of Fiji in Lautoka for raping and sexually assaulting a child.
The incident took place 2021 and 2023 and the victim was aged 10 to 12 at the time of the offenses.
“You have breached the trust expected from you and the breach was gross,” said Justice Riyaz Hamza in his September 15 ruling.
“You took advantage of the complainant’s vulnerability, helplessness and naivety. You have exposed the innocent mind of a child to sexual activity at such a tender age.”
The rape charges carried a starting sentence of 11 years each, increased to 17 due to aggravating factors like the domestic relationship and societal prevalence of child rape.
“The courts must impose harsh penalties dictated by the legislation.”
The judge set a non-parole period – 10 years and 7 months imprisonment.
