Three men from Tailevu who raped a 17 year old girl in January last year have been sent to prison by High Court Judge, Justice Paul Madigan in the last hour.
Josua Walili, Iliani Sukaloa and Sailosi Lawali-gana have each been found guilty and convicted of one count of rape on separate occasions.
Walili has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, Sukaloa has been sentenced to 11 years imprisonment while Lawali-gana has also been sent to prison for 11 years.
Justice Madigan said the Walili and Sukaloa raped the girl outside the house she was visiting.
Walili raped the 17 year old girl again on another day when the victim had gone for a swim while Lawali-gana raped the same girl when she had gone to pick up a CD from his house.
In mitigation, Walili said he is 23 years old and has no previous convictions, he is married with a young child and another to be born in about 2 months.
He said he the sole breadwinner and is a regular church goer and even sings in the church choir.
28 year old Sukaloa said he has a clear record, is single and lives with his uncle while Lawali-gana is married with three children.
Justice Madigan said asking for a lenient sentence is unrealistic.
Walili is eligible for parole after serving nine years in prison while Sukaloa and Lawali-gana have to serve a minimum of 8 years imprisonment.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
