Father of three charged with rape sentenced to 7 years imprisonment

A father of three charged with one count of rape has been sentenced to 7 years imprisonment by the Lautoka High Court.

The court heard that on the 14th of June, 2011 the man picked up the victim, who is the man’s niece, from Sigatoka town and took her to a motel where he raped her.

While sentencing the man High Court Judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe says the victim who was 19 years old at the time of the offence was then dropped off at her house where she then related the incident to her parents.

Rajasinghe says the man breached the trust reposed in him by his niece as he manipulatively took advantage of the naivety and the vulnerability of the victim.

Rajasinghe says the mitigating factors is that the man is the sole breadwinner and has no previous convictions.

The man is not eligible for parole for a period of 5 years.