Litia Cava 
The Suva High Court has found a man guilty of one count of rape following a harrowing incident that occurred during a Christmas party.
The evidence revealed that the accused had accompanied another person to a drinking party at the victim’s residence in Nadonumai settlement, Lami, on December 25, 2019.
The victim, who knew the accused as his aunt’s partner, hosted the party in her home.
As they indulged in alcohol throughout Christmas Eve until the morning of December 26, 2019, the accused persistently touched the victim, who tried to ignore his advances and continued drinking.
According to Justice Daniel Goundar’s judgment, the victim later found herself unconscious on December 26.
Her memory was hazy, and she could only recall waking up in her bedroom, finding her lower garments half down to her knees.
Distraught, she learned from her brother what had happened to her and began crying.
Justice Goundar stated that the crucial evidence in the case came from the victim’s brother and his girlfriend, who testified that they caught the accused in the act of sexual intercourse with the victim while she was intoxicated and asleep.
The court is now awaiting the counsel’s mitigation submissions before delivering the sentence.
