Api Ratuniyarawa, a 37-year-old Fiji international rugby player, has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for a series of sexual offences committed in Cardiff just days before a Wales versus Barbarians game at the Principality Stadium in November of the previous year.
Ratuniyarawa, a professional rugby player, admitted to attacking three teenagers in bars in Cardiff between October 31 and November 2. The charges against him included two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault. Two additional charges of sexual assault were ordered to lie on file.
During the trial at Cardiff Crown Court in December, Heath Edwards, the prosecutor, revealed that these disturbing incidents occurred in the week leading up to the rugby match. Ratuniyarawa, who had been selected to play for the Barbarians, was socializing in Cardiff and targeted different women in the VIP area of the Revolution bar on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights.
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, The Recorder of Cardiff, presided over the sentencing. She sentenced Ratuniyarawa to two years and 10 months in prison, with additional penalties. Ratuniyarawa will be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and receive a three-year restraining order against one of the victims.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Lloyd-Clarke took into consideration the traumatic impact of the offences on the victims. She emphasized that all three cases were aggravated due to the influence of alcohol, resulting in both physical and psychological injury. The judge acknowledged Ratuniyarawa’s lack of previous convictions and noted his positive character, genuine remorse, and the steps taken to address the underlying causes of his behaviour.
