A Labasa mechanic has been sentenced to 12 years in prison with a non-parole period of eight years for raping his then girlfriend in 2022.
The court heard that Atik Ashad Ali approached his girlfriend while she was talking to another young man at the Labasa Civic Centre and told her to get into his car. Ali then drove to Labasa Club riverside before later taking her to an area near the Sangam Nursing School.
Upon accessing her phone, Ali began hitting the victim and in the process forced her to remove her clothes and raped her. Upon cross examination, the victim stated that she gave her consent after Ali had threatened her.
Addressing Ali during the sentencing at the Labasa High Court yesterday, Acting Puisne Judge Justice Usaia Ratuvili said the traumatic effects the rape has had on the victim has been substantial.
“The major aggravating factor in the offending is the breach of trust and the fact that this is a domestic violence offence. The victim was also compelled to recount her ordeal in court, and this visibly affected her as she broke down several times on the stand in evidence in chief and also under cross examination,” Justice Ratuvili said.
“The offending lies at the higher end of seriousness for these offences and your personal culpability is high. The Court accepts that the offending was not premeditated, and you were angry that your girlfriend was talking to another boy, however, that in no way absolves your actions that day.”
