The High Court in Suva has found a man, of the Central Division, guilty of the rape of his wife.

The man was convicted on one count each of criminal intimidation, assault with intent to commit rape and two counts of rape.

He appeared before Justice Chamath Morais on Tuesday. The incident occurred in January, 2013.

The man assaulted the victim, threatened her with an axe and raped her twice on the same day while their seven-year-old son was sleeping in the bedroom.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Morais said: “I am satisfied that evidence of the prosecution through the complainant to establish the elements of the offences was proved beyond reasonable doubt.

“The assessors have also found the evidence of the prosecution as truthful and reliable, as they unanimously found the accused guilty of all counts. The three assessors have obviously rejected the denial of the accused.

“In my view, the assessor’s opinion was not perverse. It was open for them to reach such a conclusion on the available evidence and I concur with the opinion of the assessors,” Justice Morais said.

The man was remanded in custody to await sentencing.

Edited by Percy Kean

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