Prisoner now faces 16 years behind bars after sentencing for attempted rape

The Supreme Court has sentenced Kefu Kalavi to  six years in prison for attempted rape.

He has also been sentenced to two years in prison for housebreaking and six months for assault.

Kalavi, 21, is already serving a 14 year sentence for manslaughter in the death of a shopkeeper.

The bulk of his  new sentence will be served concurrent with his current sentence.

However, two years of the sentence for attempted rape will be served in addition to his current sentence.

This means he will now serve a total sentence of 16 years.

Kalavi was found guilty on July 25 and appeared before Lord Chief Justice Paulsen for sentencing this week.

About 2am  on May 26, 2014, the victim, a young  mother  alone  with  a  baby son, heard  someone outside her house. She went to see who it was and saw Kalavi trying to enter the house by ripping off  its  tin  cladding.  Kalavi was known to the woman.

She called the police on her cell phone and asked for help. Kalavi entered the house, threw her cellphone away,  strangled her and asked for sex. He then dragged  her by the hair and throat outside the  house to a nearby mango tree. He told the woman he was going to have sex with her and kill her  before the police arrived.

At that point the policer arrived. When the woman tried to call out, Kalavi punched her around the  face and then ran off towards the neighbours’ pig sty. Kalavi was arrested the next day when he went back to the neighbouring property  to  retrieve  his pants.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said Kalavi had a history  of  serious  offending   which   appeared  to   be  escalating.     He was  convicted  on  two  counts  of  housebreaking in 2010, but the sentences   were  totally   suspended   on  the  condition  that   he  did  not commit  any  further  offences.

In 2011 he  was  convicted of  a  series  of  housebreakings  and  thefts  and  sentenced  to  five  years imprisonment  with  the  final  two  years  suspended  for  three  years.

In July  2014  he  appeared  before  Mr Justice Cato who  sentenced  him to  four  years and  nine  months  imprisonment  for  armed  robbery.  He  was  also  sentenced  to  two  years imprisonment   for   housebreaking   and   two   years   for causing     bodily   harm.

Then, on November 25, 2015, Kalavi was sentenced to 12 years in jail after being found guilty of manslaughter   when   he   killed   a   Chinese shopkeeper after hitting him on the head while robbing his store in February 2014.

In sentencing Kalavi, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said little could be said in favour of the prisoner.

“He  is  a  recidivist  offender  and  I do  not  believe  he  has shown  any  genuine  remorse  or  that  he  feels  any  remorse  for  what  he did,” the judge said.

The main points

  • The Supreme Court has sentenced Kefu Kalavi to six years in prison for attempted rape.
  • Kalavi, 21, is already serving a 14 year sentence for manslaughter in the death of a shopkeeper.
  • The bulk of his new sentence will be served concurrent with his current sentence.
  • However, two years of the sentence for attempted rape will be served in addition to his current sentence, so he will now serve a total sentence of 16 years.

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