A caregiver at a New Zealand residential care facility has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after being convicted of raping an elderly woman and sexually assaulting another vulnerable resident.
A suppression order was lifted on Monday, allowing authorities to identify the offender as Nilushan Jayanga Silva Ginthota Vidhanage, who was previously found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of unlawful sexual connection. The name of the care facility where he worked remains permanently suppressed to protect the victims.
Vidhanage was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court in May by Judge Jane Farish.
During sentencing, Crown prosecutor Courtney Martyn described the crimes as one of the gravest breaches of trust imaginable, saying that outside of sexual abuse within families, it was difficult to conceive of a more serious violation.
Judge Farish said the victims were exceptionally vulnerable due to both their physical and mental conditions and had every right to expect safety while living in residential care.
“They were incredibly fragile,” the judge said, adding that Vidhanage had abused the trust placed in him as a caregiver responsible for protecting elderly residents.
The court also heard that Vidhanage later pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of intimidation after approaching an 11-year-old girl outside her school. According to Judge Farish, he stopped his car, offered the child a cigarette and then a ride before forcefully directing her to get into the vehicle. The girl refused, ran away, later recorded the vehicle’s registration number and reported the incident to her mother, leading to Vidhanage’s arrest.
Judge Farish said Vidhanage had continued to deny the sexual offending throughout the proceedings and therefore received no sentencing credit for remorse.
His lawyer, Thomas Harré, acknowledged the significant harm caused by the offences and told the court that Vidhanage’s imprisonment and eventual deportation to Sri Lanka would also have lasting consequences for his family.
Under New Zealand law, Vidhanage is expected to be deported after serving one-third of his prison sentence.
