FBC News 
[Photo: FILE]
Ilaisa Tanoa Degei is now a free man after being found not guilty of rape and sexual assault in the Lautoka High Court.
Justice Sunil Sharma said after carefully considering the evidence, there were significant inconsistencies in the complainant’s two statements.
The judge said while some inconsistencies are natural, the contradictions in this case were to an extent that the court could not accept her evidence.
The court accepted evidence from the taxi driver and the doctor who examined the complainant.
Justice Sharma described the taxi driver as alert and responsive, saying he had looked back through the rear-view mirror several times and would have intervened if he had seen the alleged act.
The court also accepted the doctor’s evidence, with the doctor unable to determine from the examination whether rape or sexual assault had occurred.
The judge said there were no teeth marks to establish that a bruise on the complainant’s body was caused by a bite, and accepted that the injury could have resulted from something else.
Justice Sharma said inconsistencies in the complainant’s police statement raised more questions than answers, leaving the court not satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to convict Degei.
Degei had faced one count each of rape and sexual assault over an alleged incident in Nadi following New Year celebrations in December 2024.
