A father of six who pleaded guilty to raping a ten-year-old child in Sigatoka last year has been sentenced nine-year and two and a half months imprisonment.

The court heard that the man who is now 51-years-old committed the offense when the victim was returning from the beach.

The man committed the offense inside his house.

The court heard that the accused’s wife came and started knocking on the door and found the victim inside the house.

The woman took the victim to her house and relayed the incident to her mother following which the matter was reported to the police.

The Lautoka High Court judge while sentencing the accused noted that the two were related and that there was a breach of trust.

The High Court judge also said that the man exposed the innocent mind of a child to sexual activity at such a tender age and robbed the complainant of her innocence.