The High Court in Suva has sentenced a man to 13 years and 11 months in prison for multiple sexual assault and rape offenses. During a hearing on Wednesday, the accused appeared before High Court Judge Justice Pita Bulamainaivalu. He was found guilty of three counts of Sexual Assault, violating section 210 (1) (a) of the Crimes Act 2009, and two counts of Rape, violating section 207 (1) and 2 (b) of the same act.
The offenses occurred between June and December 2020 in Naikawaga Village, Tailevu, where he unlawfully and indecently assaulted the victim. Additionally, he penetrated the victim without consent during the period from January to December 2018 in the same location. The court was informed that the accused admitted guilt to all five charges.
Justice Bulamainaivalu noted that according to section 18 of the Sentencing and Penalties Act 2009 and the Supreme Court ruling in Timo v State [2019] FJSC 22; CAV0022.2018, a non-parole period of 12 years was determined for this case. The defendant has 30 days to lodge an appeal against the sentence.