A 19-year-old man who raped and sexually assaulted a Year 5 girl in a settlement in Labasa in March this year has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
The man had pleaded guilty to the charges and the incidents happened in the girl’s home.
While sentencing the man High Court Judge, Justice Daniel Goundar says the man also confessed to the Police after he was arrested.
The judge says the man has expressed remorse for his conduct.
Justice Goundar says the girl was vulnerable and her trust was breached by someone who she knew from the same settlement.
He says a young female child was sexually abused by a young but an adult male in her home adding that this kind of abuse is too prevalent in our community.
Justice Goundar says the purposes of sentence are to denounce the conduct of the offender and deter him and others.
A non-parole period of 7 years has been set.
