A 21-year-old man convicted of the gruesome murder and rape of a 65-year-old woman in her home in 2018 has been handed a life sentence.

The sentence in the High Court in Suva, was delivered by Judge Justice Daniel Goundar, via skype to the convict, Mosese Cama, who was at the High Court in Labasa.

Justice Goundar detailed the gory plot that Cama committed on the night of December 30, 2018.

The court heard that Sainimere Raikadroka, who lived in Naidi on the outskirts of Savusavu, was raped and killed in the security of her home.

A weapon was used to inflict extreme violence where the victim’s skull was fractured and died of head and brain injuries.

Justice Goundar said an offence of this nature attracted heavy penalty to denounce the conduct, to punish the offender and deter others.

The court heard that Cama entered the victim’s home, struck her multiple times on the head with an iron rod used for husking coconuts, raped her and stole her property.

The following morning, the victim’s daughter discovered her mother’s half-naked body inside her house.

Cama was arrested and on January 1, 2019, he was interviewed under caution and was found to be in possession of the stolen property of the victim.

He was 20 years old at the time of the offence and had a known mental illness, lived with his widowed mother and had little support for his mental disorder.

Upon arrest, he was referred for a psychiatric assessment.

The first psychiatric report stated Cama was unfit to stand trial however, a second report was done by another psychiatric doctor.

In the report it stated that Cama suffered from chronic schizophrenia, but after treatment, ruled that he was able to stand trial.

Following this, Cama pleaded guilty to the charges of murder, rape, burglary and theft.

How it happened

The court heard that for the offence of burglary, Cama inhaled premix fuel and walked toward the house of the deceased.

Upon reaching her house, he managed to open the door from the outside.

He entered the house with the intention of stealing.

Murder offence

The court heard that for the offence of murder, Cama walked through the passage and saw light at the other end, he walked towards it and saw the woman sleeping on a mattress on the floor.

Cama walked back to the kitchen, picked the iron rod, walked back to the room where the deceased was sleeping, struck her on the head several times.

She died because of the multiple strikes she received from the iron rod.

Rape offence

The court heard that for the offence of rape, Cama removed her undergarment and raped her. He took the iron rod that he used to strike the woman and washed it.

Following that he removed the clothes he was wearing and wore another pair of clothes that were in the room, including a black jacket.

Imprisonment details

Justice Goundar said the sentence for murder was life imprisonment with discretion to fix a minimum term before a pardon may be considered by the President upon advice of the Mercy Commission.

He also highlighted that the sentence for rape was also life imprisonment.

Justice Goundar said the offences were objectively serious.

He said the special circumstance was the mental illness of the offender, which if not treated, may exacerbate.

“When an offender is suffering from chronic mental illness, then matters such as general deterrence, retribution and denunciation have less weight,” Justice Goundar said.

For the offence of murder, Cama was sentenced to life imprisonment.

For the offence of rape, Cama was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

For the offence of burglary, Cama was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

For the offence of theft, Cama was sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Justice Goundar said since all the offences arose from the same transaction, the sentences were made concurrent.

He said the total effective sentence was life imprisonment with a recommendation that a pardon may only be considered if the offender was no longer a threat tho the safety of the community.

He also said that Cama may continue to receive treatment in a secured corrections facility and the Commissioner of the Fiji Corrections Service may collaborate with the mental health institution for proper planning and treatment of the offender.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

Feedback: ashna.kumar@fijisun.com.fj