MAN, 73, ON REMAND FOR ALLEGEDLY MOLESTING, RAPING DAUGHTERS

A State lawyer in the case involving a 73-year-old man who allegedly impregnated his biological daughter indicated in the High Court in Suva yesterday that they were not objecting to his bail.

State lawyer Sujata Lodhia told Justice Riyaz Hamza that they were not objecting to the accused’s bail because of his age and health.

Legal Aid Commission lawyer Litiana Ratidara told the court that her client’s sureties were not present.

She requested to be given time until Thursday to get proper instructions from her client and to arrange suitable sureties for him.

The accused’s son was present in court yesterday.

However, Justice Hamza said he could not accept the son as a surety because he was unemployed. The accused is charged with four counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault involving three victims, two of whom were his daughters.

The alleged incidents happened between 1982 and 2016.

The first complainant was first allegedly sexually assaulted when she was 10 years old in 1982.

She was allegedly impregnated by her father when she was 15 years old and she was allegedly continually molested until 1992.

The second complainant, another daughter, was first allegedly sexually assaulted when she was 10 years old in 1997 and was allegedly continually molested until 2013. The third complainant was allegedly raped in 2016 when she was 20 years old.

The accused has been in remand for 14 months.

He has been further remanded in custody and his case will be called again on May 24, 2018 for his sureties to be present.