10 years in prison for rape | Man breaks into house to rob it, but rapes the resident

A man who broke into a house with the intention of burgling and raping a resident was sentenced to ten years in prison by the High Court in Lautoka.

The incident occurred in February 2019 when the victim was home alone.

“Sexual crimes are on the rise in Fiji. The courts have stressed that the increasing prevalence of this crime in our society requires deterrent punishments,” Justice Aruna Aluthge said in his judgment on June 24.

“The penalties must have a strong deterrent effect to prevent the commission of such crimes in the future. The perpetrators must be punished severely to demonstrate society’s outrage and to denounce sexual abuse in our society.”

Judge Aluthge noted that the defendant had already been convicted 18 times for property crimes. The judge set a probation period of eight years.