It is the duty of the court to protect women from sexual violation of any kind.

Justice Sunil Sharma told an accused found guilty of rape that “the lawmakers have imposed life imprisonment for the offence of rape as the maximum penalty”.

He then sentenced the former boyfriend and business partner of a rape victim to 11 years, 11 months and 15 days behind bars.

The accused appeared at the High Court in Lautoka before Justice Sunil Sharma.

The accused was charged with two counts of rape.

In this matter the victim is a German national who came here in 2015 to start a business.

It was during her visit when she met the accused person who already had a business and proposed for them to be in partnership.

The two later developed a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship which lasted for four months when the girlfriend broke-up with the accused.

On the day of the incident the accused person went to the victim’s house and asked her to come in his vehicle to discuss things.

When the ex-girlfriend got in the car the accused punched her and drove off with her.

When the ex-girlfriend tried to escape by opening the door of the moving vehicle, the accused pulled the door and punched her.

The punches were directed to her face, head, arms, back and stomach and he even slapped her many times.

The accused dragged her to his house while no one was home and punched and kicked her again, took off her clothes and took pictures of her while naked without her consent.

He then raped her and threatened the victim that he would kill her and the family if she told the Police.

The accused also told the victim that he would teach her a lesson by killing her, chopping her into pieces and dumping her in the ocean.

The matter came to light when the victim told her mother 10 days later that she was assaulted and raped.

Justice Sharma told the accused that he had committed a serious crime against the victim who was once his girlfriend and business partner.

The accused will serve his sentence for a period of 10 years before he is eligible for parole.

Edited by Percy Kean

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