Apenisa Waqairadovu 
A 34 year old Fijian farm worker has been sentenced to 16 years and four months in prison in Australia for a violent home invasion and sexual assault of a woman with disabilities.
Samuela Turaganivalu was found guilty by a jury in June following the November 2024 attack in Melbourne.
The County Court of Victoria heard Turaganivalu had entered the woman’s home after failing to find a woman he had been dating.
The victim was assaulted and threatened during the incident, leaving her deeply traumatised.
She told the court the attack had taken away her confidence and independence, and she was forced to leave her job because she was afraid to return home alone after dark.
Judge Gerard Mullaly described the incident as “every woman’s nightmare” and said the victim’s family had spent years helping her build an independent life, only for that progress to be severely affected by the attack.
Turaganivalu was arrested at Melbourne Airport two days later as he attempted to leave Australia for Fiji on a one way ticket.
He was sentenced to 16 years and four months in prison, with a minimum non parole period of 12 years.
The court heard he is likely to be deported after serving his sentence.
