Ratu Aisake Tonawai

A boozed-up soldier from Catterick Garrison carried out a sexual assault on a woman, leaving her traumatised, as heard at Teesside Crown Court. Ratu Aisake Tonawai, a 28-year-old Fijian national and father-of-one, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault following the incident in 2022.

The court was told that Tonawai had consumed significant quantities of alcohol and was possibly under the influence of illicit drugs at the time of the attack. Prosecuting, Nick Lane stated: "He had consumed significant quantities of alcohol and on the strength of the messages he sent it indicated that he had taken illicit drugs." Tonawai climbed into the victim's bed uninvited, removed clothing, and sexually assaulted her.

In her victim impact statement, the woman described being left traumatised by the ordeal. Mitigating, Jordan Millican highlighted that Tonawai was of previous good character and that the case had been hanging over him for years. He noted: "This was unpleasant offending. Notwithstanding that I am going to ask for a suspended sentence in this case." Millican also mentioned that Tonawai sent money home to support his partner and child by covering the rent of their home.

Judge Peter Armstrong sentenced Tonawai to 12 months in custody, describing the offence as particularly outrageous. He said: "The offence you committed was particularly outrageous. You were in drink and that is an aggravating factor whether you had taken drugs or were claiming to have taken drugs matters not. It is the drink which is an aggravating factor. You lost control of yourself." In addition to the custodial sentence, Tonawai was made subject to a five-year restraining order and ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

The case was reported by Graeme Hetherington, Crime & Court Reporter for The Northern Echo, based on proceedings at Teesside Crown Court. North Yorkshire Police investigated the incident, which occurred in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.