A 47-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison for raping a victim on two counts by the Lautoka High Court.
The court was informed that the incident occurred on December 15, 2020, when the man offered the victim a ride home. The victim, who has special needs and is both deaf and mute, believed she was being taken to her destination. Instead, the man threatened her and drove to a hotel in Votualevu, where he had booked a room.
Once there, he forcibly removed her from the car and assaulted her in the hotel room. Justice Sunil Sharma stated that the accused had betrayed the victim’s trust by not taking her to her intended location and instead taking her to a place where she was sexually assaulted.
Justice Sharma highlighted that the accused had planned the act after realizing the victim’s condition, taking advantage of her vulnerability since he was in control of the situation. He noted that rape not only violates a victim’s physical integrity but also their human dignity, causing lasting psychological trauma that can persist long after physical wounds have healed.
The judge expressed that the victim, particularly due to her special needs, was an innocent target of manipulation and that failing to impose a significant custodial sentence would not fulfill the court’s duty. He referenced the victim’s impact statement, which indicated that the victim continues to suffer emotionally and psychologically due to the incident.
The convicted man has been granted 30 days to appeal the sentence and conviction.