Litia Cava 
A man was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for the rape of a child under 13 years.
The offence took place in April this year, involving a five-year-old victim who was a close relative.
High Court judge Justice Lee Burney found the offender guilty after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
The court noted that the offender had previously been convicted of a similar sexual offence against a child.
The judge started with a 15-year sentence but reduced it by one-third due to the offender’s early guilty plea.
The non-parole period was fixed at eight years and nine months, with credit given for time already served.
Justice Burney stressed that the primary aim of the sentence was to protect the community, citing the offender’s repeated pattern of offending and the serious breach of trust involved.
This sentence was delivered in the Labasa High Court.
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