21-year-old pleaded guilty to all the charges laid against him.

The Lautoka High Court has sentenced a 21-year-old man to two years imprisonment for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old cousin; and another 12 months suspended for two years for indecent assault.

The accused pleaded guilty to all the charges laid against him by his cousin in Lautoka between November last year to February this year.

The matter was reported at the Lautoka Police Station by the victim’s mother after the victim told her mother about the incidents when she was asked.

In his sentencing, Judge Justice Paul Madigan said the offence of sexual assault carried a maximum imprisonment of ten years and five years for indecent assault.

In the aggravating factors, Justice Madigan said there was no doubt that a unique set of issues and sensitivities existed in sexual offence when the victim was a child.

He said, the victim no doubt trusted the offender and his position as her cousin and the accused betrayed that trust.

In the mitigating factors, the accused at the time of the incident was 20-years-old, he was a first time offender and also from a broken family which has forced him to move around and stay at family’s places.

With accordance to the ‘totality and ‘one transaction’ principles, the Judge ordered the sentences to be concurrent.

Having considered the accused pleading guilty plea, young age, desire to rehabilitate and his clean record, Justice Madigan handed down the two years imprisonment and 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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