The High Court in Suva has sentenced a 50-year-old man to 12 years and six months imprisonment after he was convicted of 16 counts of rape of a 14-year-old girl.
The girl who is 23 now was the man’s niece and the rapes happened where the man resided in Maloku village, Moala in Lau between 2016 – 2021..
The Court heard that since the death of the complainant’s mother in 2017, she had been residing with the accused and his wife in Lau, and that the accused began to sexually abuse her in 2016 when she was 14-years-old up until 2021.
The complainant was a Class 8 student of Maloku Primary School and recalled that the first incident occurred on an unknown date between May and August.
The Court heard that in aggravation, the Prosecution highlighted that the accused had taken advantage of the vulnerability of an innocent girl, betrayed the trust of the girl and used his authority over the victim to exploit her vulnerability by committing these acts over a period of five years.
The 50-year-old has 30 days to appeal the matter.
