A 26-year-old accused of raping his 15-year-old niece had his judgement adjourned to tomorrow.
The man is charged with two counts of rape and one of indecent assault committed during a drinking party with his friends on January 22, 2022.
The man who is in a defacto relationship with the complainant’s paternal auntie allegedly had forceful sexual intercourse with the complainant in the toilet while she was trying to relief herself.
She was allegedly in pain and kept trying to escape and in the process hit her head with the roofing iron.
The matter was listed for judgement at 2.30pm yesterday but Suva judge Justice Siainiu Fa’alogo Bull has adjourned the matter.
Lawyer Pooja Mishra from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions during the closing submissions last month submitted that the evidence provided by the victim was credible.
Ms Mishra told the court the reason for the delayed reporting was due to victim’s exam nearing and fear of her father. She said the matter only came to light after the victim who was in school heard rumors of an underaged girl being pregnant in school.
As a result, the girl broke down and told her teacher of what had occurred at 1am on the day of the incident.
Defence lawyer Joji Cakau said there was medical report provided to show that the victim suffered injuries from the roofing iron. He asked the court to view the evidence provided his client as reliable and acquit him accordingly.
