A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in the Lautoka High Court for the rape and sexual assault of his 15-year-old niece.

He was charged with three offences, one count of sexual assault, one count of rape and one count of indecent assault.

Previously, employed as a cleaner, the accused assaulted his niece on two occasions in 2012 and in 2013 while she was staying in the home he shared with her and the victim’s aunt.

In the first instance, the court heard that in Ba, the then Year 10 student was at home with a stomach ache, her aunt had gone to work when her uncle assaulted her.

The uncle offered to massage the victim’s stomach which he started doing only to move on to massage the victims’ private parts before climbing on top of her and raping her.

In the second incident, the victim was staying at a different Aunts house in Suva when the accused approached her while she was sleeping and proceeded to touch her inappropriately without her consent for about an hour.

The victim later told relatives and the matter was reported to police with the accused arrested and charged.

High Court Judge Sunil Sharma yesterday in sentencing the 42-year-old told the accused that he committed a serious offence that was unforgivable, scarring the victim for life and bringing shame on the family.

The accused will serve a non-parole period of 12 years before he is eligible for parole.