The pioneering 24-year-old Royal Navy sailor who once dated Princess Anne has been jailed for raping a 19-year-old after ‘preying on single, drunk women’ in a nightclub

A senior Royal Navy sailor who met Princess Anne was sentenced to six years in prison today for raping a drunken 19-year-old woman he lured out of a nightclub.

Sebastine Kava Liliu – the first Solomon Islands resident to join the service – raped his defenceless victim in bushes just metres from a Portsmouth nightclub, leaving her in tears.

A court heard the “predatory” sailor spent two and a half hours scouting the club on his own to try to identify “lonely, drunk women”.

He treated his “particularly vulnerable” victim to a double shot of tequila, despite her already heavy alcohol consumption, and persuaded her to leave the club with him in the early hours of February 11.

Kava Liliu then lured the woman to a secluded spot on a street just a few meters away and raped her on the ground in the bushes.

Liliu today admitted one count of rape and will be released after four years, serving the last two years of his sentence on probation.

Prosecutor Rob Harding said Kava Liliu raided the nightclub “to isolate an intoxicated woman for his own sexual gratification”.

The sailor was photographed meeting Princess Anne during a graduation parade at HMS Raleigh, the naval basic training facility in Torpoint, Cornwall, in April last year.

He was selected as the first Solomon Islands national to join the Navy and was to meet the Royal Family. He was also said to have a brilliant service record.

Today, a judge called the Solomon Islands resident an “opportunist” and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Judge Michael Bowes KC of Portsmouth Crown Court ruled that Kava Liliu had “targeted” the woman and caused her “serious psychological harm”.

Addressing Kava Liliu, Judge Bowes KC said: “On February 11, (the victim) went to the Astoria with her friends, (she) had drunk heavily and was intoxicated.”

“I’ll say it very clearly: she cannot be blamed in any way for this.

“At some point, you approached her and spoke to her, knowing she was drunk and vulnerable. Shortly after, you took her outside and raped her in a nearby bush.

“What you did that night had a profound impact on (the victim).”

“They have not only caused her physical harm, but also severe psychological damage that will stay with her for many years and probably her entire life.”

The judge added: “I have concluded that you have caused her serious psychological harm and that she was particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances.”

“I have concluded that your offence, while extremely serious, was opportunistic rather than the result of careful planning.”

The judge said he had taken into account Kava Liliu’s service record in the Royal Navy, which “speaks well for him”.

Kava Liliu is released after four years and must serve the last two years of his sentence on probation.

It is believed that he is planning a return to the Solomon Islands.

Kava Liliu’s victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had “lost her dignity” after the “vicious and cruel” attack.

In a statement read at an earlier hearing, she said she still suffers from flashbacks.

“The physical effects are easy to describe,” she said. “I no longer feel comfortable in my own skin.”

“I lost my dignity and my privacy that day. It will take me a while to recover from this.”

“The psychological impact will be hard to comprehend… when you’re out there having fun and suddenly you lose faith in the world when you’re at your most vulnerable.”

“Fortunately, I have people around me who love me, care for me and help me, but it is still difficult.”

She said she now suffers from sleepless nights and can no longer go outside in the dark.

“You may have taken away my faith in the world and my sense of dignity, but you have not taken away my voice and you never will,” she added.

The court heard that the sailor visited the Astoria nightclub in the city on his own and met his drunken victim.

Prosecutor Rob Harding said Kava Liliu raided the nightclub “with the intention of isolating an intoxicated woman for his own sexual gratification”.

“When he realised the victim’s condition, he approached her and eventually managed to get her out of the nightclub,” Mr Harding continued.

“To put it simply, he then dragged her into a nearby bush and raped her.”

The court heard he briefly left the scene before returning to get his hat, leaving the woman “distraught” and sobbing.

Shocking video footage of the incident was shown in court, showing the woman staggering to her feet afterwards.

In surveillance camera footage taken before the attack, Kava Liliu could be seen “observing the scene” before eventually following the woman out of one of the club’s rooms as if he was “stalking his prey.”

Kava Liliu is said to have entered the nightclub as a “single man” and “observed the scene” while “harassing single, drunk women”.

Judge Michael Bowes KC of Portsmouth Crown Court said Liliu had “targeted” his victim and caused her “serious psychological harm”.

The footage showed Kava Liliu getting into a taxi that took him to Victory Gate, the entrance to the city’s naval base, and back to his ship.

The police managed to identify him because he had given his name to his victim. He was later questioned and admitted what he had done.

He admitted one count of rape.

In his defense, Robert Bryan said today that Kava Liliu lacked maturity and that he regretted his actions.

Mr Bryan added: “There are several letters of reference which indicate that this seems completely out of character to people who know him and have known him for a long time.”

In a letter of apology to his victim, Kava Liliu described his actions as “horrific, disgusting and embarrassing.”