A 38-year-old man has been jailed to 16 years and six months imprisonment for raping his five-year-old biological daughter in Taveuni.

The Labasa High Court heard the man and his wife had separated and their daughter was being looked after by her maternal grandmother.

Late last October, the girl had gone to spend the night with her father.

The next morning upon returning to her grandmother, the girl was crying and complained of pain to her genitals.

Upon investigation, her grandmother found blood and reported the matter to police.

While sentencing the man, High Court Judge Justice Paul Madigan, said the potential psychiatric damage to the little girl is immeasurable.

Judge Madigan says it is almost impossible to understand why a father would harm his young daughter in such a way just for a moment of lust.

The man will be eligible for parole after serving 14 years.