A high school teacher in Samoa, Mulimuli Utuvai, has been sentenced to eight years in jail for one count of rape and one count of indecently assaulting a 17-year old female student four years ago.
The criminal charges had been filed by the police against the 29-year old teacher in November 2004.
The first hearing of the case in 2006 in the Supreme Court had ended in a mis-trial when the accused had tried to bribe the presiding
judge.
The police then filed separate charges of false pretence, bribery and corruption against the accused.
In delivering his decision, the chief justice, Patu Falefatu Sapolu, said the accused should have known his actions against the student
were wrong and unlawful.
He says Utuvai, who showed no sign of remorse, had abused his profession as a teacher to commit the crime.
