High Court Judge Justice Daniel Goundar has given the first life imprisonment sentence to a rapist today.
The 74‑year‑old man who was convicted of 7 counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault of his daughter and grand‑daughter has been sentenced for life imprisonment with no non‑parole period.
The man pleaded guilty of raping his 44‑year‑old daughter from when she was 14‑years‑old during the early days of the trial.
As a result of this rape, the 74‑year‑old elderly man impregnated his daughter when she was 14‑years‑old.
The man also raped the daughter he had with his daughter and sexually abused her from the age of 10.
The incidents occurred between 1982 and 2013 in Rakiraki and Suva.
While delivering his sentence, High Court Judge Justice Daniel Goundar said that the man went undetected as a criminal since he had instilled fear in the victims.
Justice Goundar said the man’s wife knew what her husband had been up to but did not report the matter as he had threatened his wife.
As a mitigating factor, defence had submitted advanced age and while sentencing, Justice Goundar said that old age is not a license to commit a crime.
Justice Goundar added that old age was not a factor for him when he was 69‑years‑old and raped his daughter.
He also said that he is not convinced that the man’s physical ability should grant him mercy as physical disabilities cannot be a license to avoid a prison sentence.
He also said that defence had submitted that the man was remorseful by entering an early guilty plea.
Justice Goundar said that the guilty plea was entered before the assessors during the first few days of the trial and very little evidence was shown in terms of the man’s remorse.
Justice Daniel Goundar said that for these victims, the demon was real and in the form of their father.
He said that this case presents a very disturbing behavior of a father who raped his daughter, impregnated her and raped the granddaughter he had from his own daughter.
The man is the biological father of both victims in this case.
Justice Goundar handed him a sentence of life imprisonment for each count of rape and a 5 year jail term for each count of sexual assault.
All sentences are to be served concurrently.
