A 47-year-old man convicted of four counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

The Suva High court heard that the man committed the offense on his 16-year-old stepdaughter in 2017 in the Central division.

The High court Judge said that instead of protecting the victim he breached her trust.

The court noted that the complainant was 16-years of age while he was 45-years-old at the time of the incident and that there was an age gap of nearly 29 years.

The Judge said that he took advantage of the complainant’s vulnerability, helplessness, and naivety.

The man spent 20-months in remand and considering this he will now have to serve 13-years and four-months behind bars, with a non-parole period of 10-years and 4-months.