The Supreme Court of Vanuatu has sentenced John Binihi, 28, to two years and 11 months’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to six charges of indecency with a young person involving two girls aged between nine and 11 years.
Justice Maree MacKenzie handed down the sentence on 17 June, describing the offending as serious because it involved repeated conduct, two victims, and a significant breach of trust.
According to the judgment, the incidents took place on Efate between 2023 and 2025. The court considered the abuse of trust arising from a family relationship between the offender and one of the victims as an aggravating factor.
The court heard that the offending occurred on several occasions and involved inappropriate conduct towards the two girls, who were vulnerable due to their young ages and the significant age difference between them and the offender.
Justice MacKenzie said most of the incidents occurred in the victims’ homes, where they should have felt secure. The court also noted that the repeated conduct had caused emotional and psychological harm to both children, who remained fearful as a result of what had happened.
In assessing the seriousness of the offending, the judge identified several aggravating factors, including the repeated nature of the conduct, the involvement of two victims, the abuse of trust, and the power imbalance created by the age difference between the offender and the victims.
The prosecution sought a starting point of between five and six years’ imprisonment, while defence counsel argued for a lower starting point.
After considering comparable cases and the overall circumstances, Justice MacKenzie adopted a global starting point of five years’ imprisonment.
The court reduced the sentence after Mr. Binihi entered guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity, accepted responsibility for his actions, and spared the victims from having to give evidence. Additional reductions were granted because he had no previous convictions, cooperated with police, and demonstrated remorse. The court also took into account his willingness to participate in customary reconciliation, although the victims’ families were not yet prepared for such a process.
These factors reduced the sentence to two years and 11 months’ imprisonment.
Defence counsel requested that the sentence be suspended, citing Mr Binihi’s previous good character and expressions of remorse. However, Justice MacKenzie ruled that the seriousness of the offending and the need for deterrence and denunciation outweighed the factors favouring suspension.
The sentence was backdated to 29 October 2025 to account for the seven and a half months Mr Binihi had already spent in custody awaiting sentence.
The court ordered that the names and identifying details of the two victims remain suppressed to protect their privacy.
