A man facing accusations of raping a woman has been instructed to maintain a distance from the victim while he is on bail. The individual, charged with rape, sexual assault, criminal intimidation, and wrongful confinement, appeared before Justice Dane Tuiqereqere at the High Court in Suva on August 29.
The alleged incident took place on February 15 this year. His attorney, Shivani Narayan, informed the court that the pre-trial conference checklist and the proposed agreed facts had not yet been served, and requested additional time for this process. Ms. Narayan indicated that the delay was due to her client not providing sufficient instructions regarding his defense.
State prosecutor Joshua Singh raised no objections to the request for an adjournment of the pre-trial conference and proposed facts. Justice Tuiqereqere granted the defense 21 days to file and serve the necessary documents. The case has been rescheduled for September 19.