[Photo: FILE]

A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting his teenage cousin.

The offences were committed over several years, with the High Court finding that he repeatedly exploited his close family relationship with the victim.

The man was found guilty on one count of indecent assault, two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape.

High Court judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe said the offending was of extremely high seriousness.

The court heard the offending began in 2021 when the accused indecently assaulted the victim while both were juveniles. The victim was 14 years old at the time while the accused was 17.

Justice Rajasinghe said sexual crimes against children, particularly within domestic environments, remain a serious social concern as victims are often left vulnerable in places where they should feel safe.

The court found the offender  had abused the trust of the close family relationship and exploited the victim’s vulnerability.

Justice Rajasinghe said the offender’s  actions demonstrated a “selfish disregard” for the victim’s feelings, after the court heard he continued the sexual acts despite knowing she was not consenting.

The judge set a starting point of 12 years’ imprisonment, adding three years for aggravating factors, including the abuse of trust and the victim’s age.

However, taking into account the accused’s young age and that he was a first offender, the court reduced the sentence by three years, resulting in a final sentence of 12 years imprisonment.

The offender will serve an actual sentence of 11 years and 10 months, after time spent in remand custody was taken into account.

Justice Rajasinghe ordered a non-parole period of seven years and 10 months.

The court also issued a permanent Domestic Violence Restraining Order against the offender.

Justice Rajasinghe stressed that the sentence was necessary to deter similar offending and protect the community from offenders who commit sexual crimes against vulnerable victims.