Rapist gets 15 years and three months sentence

High Court Judge, Justice Sunil Sharma told a convicted rapist that his actions had “destroyed the very soul of the victim, and also brings about a sense of hopelessness and anxiety”.

This is when handing a 32-yearold man an aggregate sentence of 15 years and three months imprisonment for sexually molesting and raping an 11-year-old child.

The offender is convicted for one count of sexual assault and one count of rape and has been handed a non-parole period of 13 years.

Justice Sharma said the offender had exposed the victim to sexual abuse at a very young age.

“The victim was supposed to be safe and secure in her house,” Justice Sharma said.

“Rape of a child is one of the most serious forms of sexual violence and offenders should be dealt with severely.

“Children are entitled to live their lives free from any form of physical or emotional abuse. Offenders for such offences should not expect any mercy from this court.

“The punishment ought to be such that it takes into account the society’s outrage and denunciation against such conduct. Long-term imprisonment becomes inevitable in such a situation.”

What happened:

On November 11, 2018, the victim was sleeping at her home with her younger sister.

At about 5am, a family friend of the victim’s parents and the offender went into the house of the victim to sleep since both had to go to work the same day.

The victim’s parents were at work at the time.

In the house, the offender went and sat in the sofa in front of the bedroom where the victim and her sister were sleeping.

After the family friend went to sleep in the sitting room, the offender went into the bedroom where the victim was sleeping, molested, and raped her.

When she screamed, the offender ran out of the house.

High Court in Lautoka Judge, Justice Sunil Sharma said the offender was a visitor in the house of the victim and was trusted to sleep over and go to work the same morning.

He said the offender grossly breached the trust of the victim by his actions because the victim was vulnerable and unsuspecting which the offender took advantage of.

Justice Sharma said to the offender: “You have committed serious offences against the victim who was unsuspecting and vulnerable, you cannot be forgiven for what you have done to her.

“You never gave a second thought about what you were doing to this innocent child who was sleeping in the comfort of her home.”

The Judge said the victim was psychologically and emotionally affected.

“There is no doubt that positive and happy childhood memories contribute towards child development which is an inspiration for the future. Unfortunately, this is not so for the victim.”