A 19-year-old vocational student who pleaded guilty to assaulting a man has been discharged by the High Court in Suva without a conviction after claiming that his victim had raped him.
The student was charged with an act intended to cause grievous harm committed on October 4, 2025.
According to court records the victim was returning from town when he encountered the man and another individual, who asked to join him in a drinking party. The victim offered the student a can of Woodstock from his bag.
Agreed facts revealed in court stated that once at their chosen drinking spot, the student aggressively grabbed the victim’s shirt and repeatedly punched him in the face. When the victim tried to escape, the student pulled him back and continued the assault. On a second attempt, the victim managed to reach a nearby house, and police were alerted.
In her ruling, Justice Waleen George noted that while the offence was serious, the circumstances behind the assault were not made clear until she reviewed the student’s caution interview, in which he alleged that the victim had raped him, prompting his actions.
Remanded for one month and a week, the man expressed remorse and sought a discharge without conviction, explaining that a recorded conviction could hinder his future employment opportunities.
“Based on the foregoing reasons, the court invokes section 16 of the Sentencing and Penalties Act, 2009 and discharges the accused without recording a conviction,” Justice George said in her ruling last week.
