Litia Cava 
[File Photo]
The Suva High Court has acquitted a man facing rape charges.
It ruled that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged sexual act occurred without consent.
The judgment was delivered by Pusine judge Justice Usaia Ratuvili.
The case involved allegations that the accused had sexual intercourse with a young woman at her home in Tovata, Makoi.
During the trial, conflicting accounts of the incident were presented.
The complainant claimed the act was non-consensual, while the accused maintained it was consensual. The court found discrepancies in the complainant’s testimony and preferred the evidence of the accused.
Justice Ratuvili noted that the State did not provide evidence showing consent was vitiated by force, threat, intimidation, fear of harm, authority, false representations, or mistaken belief.
With reasonable doubt remaining, the accused was acquitted.
The State has 30 days to appeal the decision.
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