Custodial dad found guilty of raping 9-year-old daughter (Suva, Fiji)

Read this account carefully. This UNNAMED DAD maintained custody of his three daughters after he separated from his wife. Now he's been found guilty of raping (at minimum) one of those daughters. Not a word of explanation as to how or why the father got custody of these girls--but then newspaper accounts seldom explain the custodial context or decision making that made a crime possible.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=149766

Incest father jailed
Timoci Vula
Tuesday, June 08, 2010

A CHURCH pastor who was found guilty by the High Court in Suva for raping his daughter who was nine years old has been jailed for 15 years.

Justice Salesi Temo told the 42-year-old man he had not only breached parental trust but had ruined his daughter's world.

The offences were committed between January and May 2006.

"She was already traumatised by the break-up of your family in 2005. She looked to you for fatherly support and guidance. She trusted you as a father. You were supposed to respond in kind. You were supposed to guide and counsel her to become a strong and confident young girl," Justice Temo said.

"However, you did exactly the opposite. You ruined her world by indecently assaulting her, and raping her twice. Then you committed incest on her."

Justice Temo said the girl was emotionally scarred for life. He said at times she cried without a reason, had very low self-esteem and was frightened.

"She gets so angry easily and wants to be left alone on most occasions. She stares a lot. Her school grades have deteriorated. She shuts down when questioned. On occasions, she changes from a happy little girl to an angry one, and then a dumb one," Justice Temo said.

The High Court in Suva highlighted her medical report dated June 12 in 2009 that at the age of 12 years and eight months old, the girl was sexually active and that she had been subjected to other sexual activities with other men.

Justice Temo said those were the by-products of his offence.

"You turned your own daughter into this kind of world. Instead of living her life as a young innocent girl, she is now being exposed to the above kind of world. In a sense, your have ruined her life as a child, given your offending," he said.

He said the father had total disregard to his daughter's right to live a happy and peaceful life, not only as a child but also when she grows into the adult world.

The High Court heard that following his separation from his wife in 2005, he moved with his three daughters in January 2006 to their new residence in a squatter settlement in Suva where the abuse started.

It heard that the men sexually abused his daughter between February 11-18, February 19-28 and again between May 1-31 in 2006.