Praneeta Prakash 
[Photo: FILE]
A man who sexually assaulted a woman at a hospital in Kadavu in 2023 has been sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment by the Suva High Court.
The court heard that the woman had gone to the hospital for a medical procedure requested by her doctor to determine whether she was pregnant following an incident of sexual assault and abduction.
Instead of assisting her in properly carrying out the requested medical procedure, the court heard that the radiographer exploited the opportunity to satisfy his sexual desire by sexually assaulting her.
The High Court Judge said that the level of culpability in this offence is high.
The Judge also said that by committing this offense, the man not only breached the trust of the complainant but also the health service that placed trust in him by assigning such a valuable and important task.
During the sentence, the Judge considered the fact that the accused spent 17 days in remand, and this was considered as a period of imprisonment already served.
The man will now have to serve eight years and eleven months behind bars with a non-parole period of five years and eleven months.
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