Labasa man convicted of raping step-granddaughter

A 70-year-old man has been convicted by the High Court in Labasa on three counts of rape involving his step-granddaughter when she was aged between nine and 11.

The offending occurred in Labasa between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017. The man appeared before Justice Lee James Burney for judgment.

The court heard that the victim had been raised for part of her childhood by the accused and his wife, her paternal grandmother.

The accused testified that he had been in a de-facto relationship with the victim’s grandmother for 20 years.

The victim became attached to her grandparents and would often sleep over at her grandmother’s home between 2015 and 2017 while the accused attended evening functions.

Her grandmother would often instruct her to sleep in the accused’s bed.

The court heard that the offending occurred when the accused returned home from those functions and continued until 2017.

The abuse was not disclosed until November 17, 2024, when the victim told her mother during a family gathering attended by more than 10 people. The accused was also present.

In his judgment, Justice Burney described the victim, now 20, as a most impressive witness.

He said her evidence was detailed and cogent, despite her having to recall events that occurred more than a decade earlier.

The judge said there was nothing in the manner in which she gave evidence that caused him to doubt its truth or weight.

Justice Burney said he was also untroubled by the delay in reporting the abuse.

He accepted her explanation that the accused had threatened her not to tell anyone about what he was doing to her.

The judge said it was understandable that she had remained silent given the family dynamics.

He found that the accused had the opportunity to repeatedly rape his step-granddaughter, despite claiming that he had suffered from erectile dysfunction for 16 years.