A man who terrorised two women during separate home invasions in Labasa has been sentenced to 17 years and six months’ imprisonment after being convicted of aggravated robbery, robbery and indecent assault.
Delivering sentence in the High Court at Labasa on 3 July, Justice Lee Burney said the offending caused profound and lasting trauma to both victims, who were attacked while asleep in their homes during the early hours of 20 August 2023.
The court heard that the offender, Sunia Bainivalu, entered the Wailevu home of the first complainant, held a knife to her throat and demanded the jewellery she was wearing. He stole her necklace, bracelet, two rings and a Samsung Galaxy A32 mobile phone before indecently assaulting her. The woman managed to kick him and escape.
Later that same morning, Bainivalu entered the home of a second woman after her alarm sounded at about 4am. He covered her mouth, stole her mobile phone and fled, taking another phone from the sitting room as he left.
Justice Burney said both women had suffered immeasurable emotional and psychological harm, noting that they were vulnerable victims attacked in the supposed safety of their own homes during the hours of darkness. The court also considered the use of a knife, the sexual assault of the first complainant and the long-term impact described in victim impact statements.
In sentencing, the Judge said he took the aggravated robbery charge as the lead offence and applied the totality principle across all three convictions. He noted that a substantial uplift was warranted because of the seriousness of the combined offending.
Bainivalu was sentenced on count 1 (aggravated robbery): 17 years and six months’ imprisonment, count 2 (indecent assault), 3 years’ imprisonment, to run concurrently and count 3 (robbery): ten years’ imprisonment, to run concurrently.
Justice Burney fixed a non-parole period of 11 years and six months and credited Bainivalu with six months already served in custody while awaiting the conclusion of the case.
