A  59-year-old father was sentenced to 11 years in jail on May 9 by the High Court in Suva for raping his daughter.

The court heard that the man had started molesting his daughter in 2013 when she was only nine years old. This was after he divorced his wife in 2008.

He was found guilty on three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Justice Priyantha Fernando, while delivering his sentence, said it was evident that the man took advantage of the vulnerability of the child and breached the trust reposed to him as a guardian. He will be eligible for parole after serving nine years in prison.

Justice Fernando delivered his sentence as follows:

1st count of sexual assault: 4 years; 2nd count of rape: 11 years 10 months; 3rd count of rape: 11 years 10 months; and 4th count of rape: 11 years 10 months.

All four sentences are to be served concurrently therefore he will serve 11 years and 10 months of imprisonment for the four counts he was charged with.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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