Your act is similar to that of an animal.

Those were the words of Labasa Magistrate Anare Tulevuka while sentencing a 48 year old man to 10 years imprisonment who earlier pleaded guilty to raping his 70 year old mother.

Police prosecutor Dharmendra Kumar told Magistrate Tuilevuka that on 25th August, the man raped his mother when she was asleep and while the family members were attending an engagement party.

The next day after the incident, a neighbour noticed that the 70 year old frequently went to the bathroom and asked her if she was fine and then she was informed by the 70 year old that she was raped by her son.

In mitigation, the man told the court that he was remorseful, married with a son and has been disowned by family members and seeks forgiveness.

However, Magistrate Tuilevuka raised concern that an increased number of rape cases had been highlighted in the media and stakeholders are calling for harsher sentences and it would be undeserved and too lenient if he was given a lesser sentence.

Therefore, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.