History-making Royal Navy sailor jailed after raping woman he lured from Portsmouth club

Sebastine Kava Liliu - the first Solomon Islander to join the service - raped his vulnerable victim in bushes just yards from The Astoria nightclub in Winston Churchill Avenue and left her in floods of tears.

A court heard the 'predatory' sailor had spent two and a half hours scouting out the club on his own to try to identify 'lone, drunk females'. He bought his 'particularly vulnerable' victim a double tequila despite her already being extremely drunk and convinced her to leave the club with him in the early hours of February 11.

Kava Liliu then lured the woman to a secluded spot on a street just yards away and raped her on the ground in the bushes. Following the shocking attack in the centre of Portsmouth, Kava Liliu took a taxi back to his ship in the naval city.

The sailor was photographed in April last year meeting Princess Anne during a Passing Out Parade at HMS Raleigh, the Navy's basic training facility in Torpoint, Cornwall. He was selected to meet the royal as the first ever person from the Solomon Islands to join the Navy and it was heard he had a glowing service record.

Today, a judge branded the Solomon Islander 'opportunistic' and jailed him for six years. Judge Michael Bowes KC, sitting at Portsmouth Crown Court, ruled Kava Liliu 'targeted' the woman and caused her 'severe psychological harm'.

Addressing Kava Liliu, Judge Bowes KC said: "On February 11 [the victim] went out for a night out to The Astoria with her friends, [she] had a lot to drink and was drunk.

"I make it absolutely clear, she is not to be blamed in any way for that. There came a stage where you did approach her and talk to her as you knew she was drunk and vulnerable. Shortly after, you took her outside and close by in a bush you raped her.

"What you did that night has had a very profound effect on [the victim]. As well as the physical damage, you have caused severe psychological harm that will remain with her for many years and quite probably for the rest of her life."

The judge added: "I've found that you did cause severe psychological harm and she was particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances. I found that your offence, while extremely serious, was opportunistic rather than the result of significant planning."

The judge said he took into account of Kava Liliu's Royal Navy service report, which 'spoke well of him'. Kava Liliu will be released after four years and serve the last two years of his sentence on licence.

It is understood he will plan to return to the Solomon Islands. Kava Liliu's victim, who can't be named for legal reasons, she had 'lost her dignity' after the 'malicious and cruel' attack.

In a statement read out at an earlier hearing, she said she still suffers flashbacks. "It is easy to say the physical effects," she said, "I no longer feel comfortable in my own skin.

"I lost my dignity and privacy that day, that is something that will take a while to recover. The mental effects are going to be hard to grasp... to be out enjoying yourself and to suddenly lose that trust in the world when you are at your most vulnerable.

"Luckily, I have people around me who love and care for me who will help, but things are still difficult."

She said she now suffers from sleepless nights and feels she can't walk outside in the dark anymore.

"You may have taken my trust in the world and my sense of dignity, but you didn't take my voice away and never will," she added.

The court heard the sailor visited The Astoria nightclub in the city on his own and met his drunk victim.

Prosecutor Rob Harding said Kava Liliu scanned the nightclub 'planning on isolating a drunk female for his own sexual gratification'.

"Recognising the state the victim was in, he approached her and eventually managed to get her out of the nightclub," Mr Harding continued.

"Put simply, he then proceeded to take her into nearby bushes and raped her."

The court heard he briefly left the scene before returning to collect his cap, then left the woman 'distressed' and sobbing.

Shocking CCTV footage of the incident was played in court, showing the woman stumbling to her feet afterwards.

In CCTV footage taken before the attack, Mr Harding said Kava Liliu could be seen 'observing the scene', before eventually following the woman out of one of the club's rooms like he was 'stalking his prey'.

Footage showed Kava Liliu getting in a taxi to take him to Victory Gate, the entrance to the city's naval base, and back to his ship.

Police managed to identify him as he had told his victim his name and he was later interviewed and accepted what he had done. He admitted one count of rape.

In mitigation, Robert Bryan today said Kava Liliu has a 'lack of maturity' and 'is remorseful for what he did'.

Mr Bryan added: "Various letters have been provided for references which indicate that those individuals who know him and and those who have known him for quite a period of time [say] it appears to be quite out of character."

Kava Liliu described is actions as 'horrible, disgusting, and embarrassing' in an apology letter to his victim.