Anitele’a Segi was sentenced this morning to five years imprisonment for first degree sexual abuse.
Segi was initially charged with rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse in the first degree for having sex with a 15 year old girl in December of 2015 but plead guilty to first degree sexual abuse in a plea deal with the government.
A police report said the defendant threatened to kill the victim if she refused.
Before announcing the sentence, Judge Elvis Patea, assisted by judges Mamea Sala Jr, and Tunupopo Alalafaga explained that they considered several factors.
One was the difference between apologizing for the crime committed vs apologizing for charges filed against them.
The prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Jedidiah Bigelow, had raised the same issue.
The court also considered the age of the victim and that the sexual offence didn’t occur just once but twice.
Anitele’a, who is credited for the ten months he’s been in prison, was ordered to register with the Sex Offender’s Registry and be tested for HIV/AIDS.
He was represented by Public Defender Douglas Fiaui.
