A man was sentenced to 16 years and 10 months in prison by the High Court in Suva after being found guilty of raping his stepdaughter. The former primary school teacher received the sentence from Justice Thushara Rajasinghe after being convicted on three counts of rape, as well as one count each of indecent and sexual assault.
Evidence presented in court revealed that between 2017 and 2018, the man had repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim in their home. At the time of the incidents, the complainant was 17 years old.
Initially, the man had pleaded guilty to five counts but was ultimately convicted after the State called three witnesses, including the victim, during the trial. The verdict was delivered on September 27, and sentencing occurred the following Friday.
During the sentencing, Justice Rajasinghe highlighted the emotional and psychological toll the crime had taken on the victim. He emphasized that the sexual exploitation of minors within domestic settings represents a significant social issue.
The court found that the stepfather committed these offenses when the complainant was alone and unable to seek help. It was noted that despite fulfilling his parental duties to some extent, he manipulated the situation to obtain sexual gratification, exploiting the girl’s vulnerability.
Even after being forgiven by both his stepdaughter and her mother, the man continued to seek opportunities to assault her. Although the court acknowledged his previous good character from his 30 years of teaching, it ultimately imposed a lengthy sentence.
He will face a non-parole period of 14 years and 10 months and is also subject to a permanent domestic violence restraining order, which includes no contact and no molestation conditions. Violating this order could lead to prosecution under the Domestic Violence Act.