Six men appeared in Nausori Magistrate’s Court on Monday, facing a total of 17 charges relating to rape and assault linked to two alleged incidents involving a 14-year-old girl in 2020. The accused and the victim are from the same village.
The first accused, a 22-year-old man, is facing seven counts of rape, while the second, also 22 years old, has been charged with eight counts of rape. A 24-year-old man constitutes the third accused and faces one count of rape.
A 25-year-old man and a 29-year-old, the fourth and fifth accused respectively, have been jointly charged with one count of rape. In addition, the fifth accused is jointly charged with the sixth accused, a 24-year-old man, for assault causing actual bodily harm in a separate incident.
All individuals have been remanded by the Nausori Magistrate’s Court. Their case has been moved to the High Court in Suva, where it is scheduled to be heard again on October 1, 2024.