A LAUTOKA man has been found guilty of rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, and assault after forcing his former partner to perform a sexual act on him inside an abandoned house in Saweni.
The man was charged with one count of rape, one count of wrongful confinement, one count of criminal intimidation, and one count of assault.
The court heard that on August 11, 2025, he picked up the victim, a 29-year-old bartender, after her night shift on the premise of dropping her home but instead took her to an abandoned house. Both the victim and the man had been in a relationship for more than a year.
The following day, when she insisted on leaving, he threatened to kill her and her family, strangled her with an electrical wire, and forced her to perform sexual acts. He subsequently blocked the doorway with a bed, confiscated her phone and money, and assaulted her by punching her in the chest when she refused to unlock her phone.
The victim managed to escape when he took her to a local supermarket, running inside to seek help from an acquaintance and the police.
Justice Aruna Aluthge rejected the defence’s claims that the act was consensual and that the victim could have fled earlier.
The court ruled that the man exercised complete psychological coercion and physical restraint over the victim, establishing a classic case of wrongful confinement.
