The following data is authorised for release by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and relates to the number of formal indictments (Information) filed in the High Courts of Fiji by the Director of Public Prosecutions throughout the month.

This data is confined to incidents of serious sexual offences only. There were 28 people charged with a total of 48 separate incidents of serious sexual offences in May.

These included two people under the age of 18 years. The offences consisted of rape (35), defilement (6), indecent assault (4), attempted rape (2), and abduction of a person under 18 years of age with intent to have carnal knowledge (1).

There were 27 victims of whom 16 were under the age of 18 years. Of these 16, six were between the ages of 6 and 12, while ten were between the ages of 13 and 17. Two rape cases were discontinued before the courts after one was withdrawn and a discontinuance (Nolle Prosequi) was filed for the other.

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