A 69-year-old grandfather implicated in a sex case involving two of his granddaughters has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for touching them inappropriately.
Due to the familial ties between the defendant and the victims, Supreme Court Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Michael Clarke issued a suppression order on the defendant’s identity.
According to his honors, the defendant appeared for sentencing on one charge of indecent assault and sexual connection.
According to the Amended Summary of Facts dated 23 February 2023, between 1 January and 31 December 2019, the 15-year-old granddaughter and her two sisters stayed with him as the father was overseas on seasonal work.
The victim was asleep with her two sisters in the living room; the defendant touched her inappropriately. The second incident involving the 14-year-old occurred in 2020, where the defendant toucher her in a sexual manner, and the Police were then contacted for assistance.
The two victims express their disgust with the defendant and question how this could happen to them, particularly from within their family and their grandfather.
Although the prosecution submits that the offending was premeditated, the defendant consciously decided to commit these acts. His honors noted that the Amended Summary of Facts suggests more opportunistic offending than a calculated and premeditated act.
His Honours asks how a grandfather could do such a vile and disgraceful act to his own granddaughters, which is challenging to understand. Also, this occurred while their father was overseas, and they were left in his care.
He said a non-custodial sentence is entirely inappropriate given the severe breach of trust, the vulnerability, and the number of victims involved.
On the more serious charge of sexual connection, the defendant is convicted and sentenced to 15 months, and for the criminal count of indecent assault, he is also convicted and sentenced to 2 months imprisonment and is to be served concurrently.
