Man Jailed 10 Years for Repeated Rape of Girl
Between April 23 and April 25, he repeatedly locked her in his room and raped her. He also took naked photos of her on his phone.
Wednesday 23 July 2025 | 11:24
Updated 08 August 2025 | 15:28 FJT
A 63-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for repeatedly raping a young girl, in what the court described as a grave betrayal of community trust.
Justice Lee James Burney, in delivering the sentence, said the offender posed a danger to children and stressed the need to protect the community.
The man will serve a non-parole period of six years and six months.
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The offender is the granduncle of the 10-year-old victim and appeared in the High Court in Labasa. He pleaded guilty to one count each of sexual assault, a representative rape and rape.
He committed the offence between April 22 and 25, this year at a village in the Northern Division.
What happened
The court heard that the victim and her 13-year-old brother lived with their grandmother in a village, while their mother worked in Nadi and sent money to support them.
After school, they often visited the offender’s house to play games and watch videos on his smartphone.
The court heard that on April 22, the victim went to the offender’s house alone. While in his bedroom, he sexually assaulted her.
Between April 23 and April 25, he repeatedly locked her in his room and raped her. He also took naked photos of her on his phone.
The abuse came to light in early May when the victim visited her mother in Nadi. Her brother told their mother he had seen inappropriate photos of his sister on the offender’s phone. The victim then revealed what had happened, and the matter was reported to the Namaka Police Station.
Sentencing
State prosecutor Estein Thaggard told the court that in village communities, children were often allowed to move around freely, trusting that relatives and neighbours would keep them safe. She said the offender’s actions were a serious betrayal of that trust.
She added that the case was more serious because the victim was very young, there was a big age gap, and the abuse happened multiple times.
The offender, a father of two, was a first-time offender, cooperated with police, and pleaded guilty early, according to defence lawyer Sharmila Devi.
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