After 16 years, the daughter of a rapist father got justice when the High Court judge in Lautoka sentenced the accused to 15 years and four, months.

The victim was preyed on multiple occasions by the 59-year-old father when she was 11 and 12 years old respectively.

While sentencing the offender on January 22, Justice Sunil Sharma told the accused: “You cannot be forgiven for what you have done to her when the victim was unsuspecting and vulnerable. You have scarred the life of your daughter forever.”

Justice Sharma said rape was not only a physical act, it destroyed the soul of the victim and brought about a sense of hopelessness and anxiety, which could not be measured or repaired by anyone.

He also issued a permanent domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) against the offender with non-molestation and non-contact orders to protect the victim.

The offender is eligible for parole after he has served 13 years of his sentence.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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