13 years in jail for rape of close family member

A man who raped a close family member’s 14-year-old daughter has been sentenced to 13 years imprisonment in absentia.

The offender has been found guilty for a charge of rape.

It was proved during the hearing that the offender had taken the victim, who was 14 years old in 2022, to his mother’s place on the pretext that he would show her his phone. He then raped her.

The court heard that the victim had considered the offender as her brother.

High Court Judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe said this was a case of sexual exploitation of a young girl by a known person.

“Sexual exploitation of children by persons known to them has become a social menace,” Justice Rajasinghe said.

“The social enigma of abusing children for sexual gratification needs to be addressed promptly and effectively. Therefore, I find the objective seriousness of the crime extremely high.

“A harsh and long custodial sentence is inevitable for offences of this nature to demonstrate the gravity of the offence and reflect that civilized society denounces such crimes without any reservation.”

The court heard that the Victim Impact Report stated that this crime had adversely affected the victim emotionally and psychologically.

The court sentenced the man in absentia to 13 years imprisonment with a non-parole of 11 years. Given that the offender had spent 10 days in remand before he was granted bail, the court considered it as a month’s time as part of the imprisonment term already served.

A bench warrant is also issued against the offender.