12 children among 16 victims in July sexual offence cases

Twelve children were among 16 victims in serious sexual offence cases filed in Fiji’s High Court in July, with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) recording 41 counts against 18 accused persons.

The latest ODPP rape and sexual offences statistics show 15 indictments involving serious sexual offences were filed during the month.

The 41 charges comprised 25 counts of rape, three counts of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, one count of defilement and eight counts of sexual assault.

Of the 18 accused persons, four were juveniles.

The figures also show seven incidents involved victims and accused persons who were related.

Children allegedly targeted by relatives

In one case, a 36-year-old man was charged with one representative count of rape and one representative count of sexual assault of his 13-year-old daughter.

A 32-year-old man was charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of his six-year-old stepdaughter.

Two other accused persons were each charged with one count of rape for allegedly raping the same child on separate occasions.

In another case, a 61-year-old man was charged with one count of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault involving his 14-year-old granddaughter.

A 27-year-old man was charged with the defilement of his 15-year-old niece, while a 68-year-old man was charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of his 11-year-old niece.

A 36-year-old man was also charged with one representative count of rape involving his 15-year-old sister-in-law.

The ODPP recorded another case involving a 60-year-old man who was charged with the rape of his 60-year-old wife. The matter was discontinued because of insufficient evidence.

Four juvenile accused

Four of the 18 accused persons were juveniles.

In one incident, a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy were charged with the attempted rape of a 15-year-old boy from their village.

In another case, a 16-year-old boy was charged with three counts of rape involving a child from his village.

The alleged offences occurred in 2024, when the accused was 14 and the victim was seven.

A 17-year-old boy was also charged with the rape of a 16-year-old girl.

Other cases

A 75-year-old man was charged with two counts of rape involving a 10-year-old girl.

In another case, a 28-year-old man was charged with the rape of his 23-year-old work colleague.

A 19-year-old man was charged with four counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault involving a 12-year-old girl. The ODPP said the accused and the victim’s family were close friends and the victim referred to the accused as a brother.

A 21-year-old local footballer was charged with the rape of a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman.

In another incident, a 21-year-old man was charged with the rape of a 22-year-old woman.

The ODPP said one case was discontinued after a nolle prosequi was filed because of insufficient evidence.