A Year 12 student will have to serve one month in the Juvenile Boys and Rehabilitation Centre for raping and sexually assaulting his cousin in 2016, after being given a partially suspended sentence by Suva Magistrate Geethani Wijesinghe.
The boy was found guilty for two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
The victim was 7-years-old at the time of the incident while the boy was 14-years-old.
He was given a punishment of 9 months imprisonment for the two counts of rape and 7 months has been suspended for 2 years while the punishment for the one count of sexual assault was 5 months imprisonment and 4 months has been suspended for 2 years.
The boy has to serve one month at the Juvenile Boys and Rehabilitation Centre and he has also been placed under probation for 1 year.
As part of the probation conditions, the boy will undergo counselling with the assistance of the Department of Social Welfare.
Another condition is for the boy to be in good behaviour.
The court has ordered that the counselling should start while the boy is serving his punishment at the Juvenile Boys and Rehabilitation Centre.
The 28-days which the boy spent in remand for this case was also deducted from each imprisonment term.
Magistrate Wijesinghe said a major part of the one month which the boy has to serve falls within the school holidays.
The court has also ordered the authorities at the Juvenile Boys and Rehabilitation Center take steps within their purview, to ensure that the studies of the boy are not discontinued due to this punishment.
Magistrate Wijesinghe said the court decided to suspend the punishment partially to give the boy an opportunity to rehabilitate himself.
It was heard in court that the boy and the girl are cousins and were living in adjoining houses.
The boy used to sleep at the girl’s house as there was not enough space at his house.
One day while no one was at home, the boy raped the girl.
Magistrate Wijesinghe said the boy breached the trust that the girl placed on him as an elder cousin and took advantage of the vulnerability of the victim.
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