Praneeta Prakash 
[File Photo]
A 20-year-old yaqona farmer convicted of indecent assault has been handed a suspended sentence by the Labasa High Court.
The incident happened in 2021 when the victim’s parents had asked a family in their village to look after her and her siblings while her parents went to the farm.
The court heard that later that night the victim who was 11 years old at the time of the incident went to her house when the accused unlawfully and indecently assaulted her.
The farmer pleaded guilty to the charge.
Labasa High Court Judge Justice Usaia Ratuvili said that he breached the trust of the victim and committed that offense knowing that she would be alone in the house while running an errand.
Considering the time spent by the 20-year-old in remand, he has been sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for three years.
