A 34-year-old man convicted of raping his partner’s sister-in-law as she slept with her husband and child in their room in the early hours of boxing day last year has been jailed for nearly 10 years.
The man who had 13 previous convictions, non-sexual in nature, five of which happened within the last 10 years, was taken in by the young family because he and his partner did not have a home. The couple even offered a piece of their land to the two to build their home.
Court documents showed that the incident happened in the early hours of Boxing Day 2021, after the couple had retired to bed, with their child, after a day of celebrations on Christmas Day.
In the victim impact report that was produced in court, the victim stated that she was embarrassed to have sex with her own husband after the incident. She became fearful of the perpetrator, and that she needed to have someone by her side all the time including when attending to her small BBQ stall.
In sentencing the 34-year-old in a high court in Suva today, Judge Justice Kulatunga said he breached the couple’s trust, took advantage of the victim’s vulnerability, and sexually exploited her within her own home.
Justice Kulatunga initially imposed a nine-year sentence which was then reduced by six months – accounting for the time the 34-year-old had spent in custody since he was arrested on 29 December.
