الكاتب: kafej

An international rugby player who had been due to play for the Barbarians has been sentenced to two years and 10 months for a series of sexual offences.

Api Ratuniyarawa, 37, admitted two counts of assault by penetration and one charge of sexual assault at a hearing in December in relation to three young women.

The Fiji lock had been due to feature on the bench for the Barbarians in their match against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 4 November 2023.

Cardiff Crown Court previously heard the offences took place between 31 October and 2 November last year.

Ratuniyarawa, who lives in Northamptonshire, denied two further charges of sexual assault relating to one of the three women.

The court previously heard the father-of-four had been without a club since the summer when premiership side London Irish went into receivership.

A sentencing hearing on Tuesday was told Ratuniyarawa had travelled to Cardiff ahead of the Barbarians match, “to attend media commitments and training for the fixture”.

Prosecuting, Heath Edwards KC said “the defendant appears to have spent many of his nights socialising” in the week prior to the game.

The prosecution said Ratuniyarawa attended the Revolution bar in Cardiff on the evenings of 31 October, 1 November and 2 November.

The court was shown CCTV footage of all three incidents from the bar’s VIP area.

One of his victims read her impact statement in court.

“My attack came out of the blue. It was sudden, shocking,” she said.

“I feel degraded, embarrassed and humiliated. I still do.”

She said the incident had “started not just to impact [her] but [her] family”.

“I should be excited to be going out with my friends, but I can’t stop thinking about what has happened,” she added.

“He’s ruined my life by what he’s done, and I feel like I’m in my own personal hell.”

She told the court she had been “such an independent person” prior to the incident.

“I couldn’t shower until I’d been examined and all I wanted to do was wash that man off me,” she said.

“This man had his whole career ahead of him, and such a high-profile person. He did this to me.”

In mitigation, Ruth Smith KC said the defendant would like to apologise for his actions but that he had “limited recollection” of the incidents.

“The defendant would like, through me, as an initial statement, to apologise to each of the victims in this case,” she said.

“The consumption of alcohol for him in such quantities was completely out of character.”

Ms Smith told the court Ratuniyarawa had “never drunk that much before in his entire life”.

“This incident fell at a time of upheaval in the personal life of the defendant,” she added.

“He was without employment. He is a gentlemen that supports not only his immediate family financially, but a range of others financially. And it resulted in a situation of stress for him,” Ms Smith said.

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The court heard the defendant had been described “by those that run Fiji Rugby as a dedicated and valuable asset”.

“He knows his legacy is forever tarnished with behaviour that is reflected in these counts,” Ms Smith added.

“He has not only let himself down, his family, but also his country in respect of his behaviour.”

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke also granted a restraining order of three years in relation to one of the victims.

Israel “might have taken action” in breach of international law in Gaza, the foreign secretary has said during a tense exchange with MPs on the conflict in the Middle East.

Lord Cameron also confirmed two British nationals are still being held hostage by Hamas, as he made his first appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee since his controversial return to cabinet.

Politics Live: Lord David Cameron ‘worried’ Israel may have broken international law in Gaza

The former prime minister was given a peerage in order to take the government post and because he is not an MP, and therefore does not speak in the House of Commons, the committee appearance is the first chance MPs have had to scrutinise his new role.

He was pressed repeatedly on whether he has received advice from government lawyers saying Israel is in any way in breach of international law, or if he has any grounds to believe they are.

The foreign secretary said he “cannot recall every single bit of paper that has been put in front of me” and it was not his job to make a “legal adjudication”.

Appearing frustrated, Tory MP and chair of the committee Alicia Kearns cited previous instances in which he declared that foreign regimes have breached international law.

Lord Cameron eventually said he was “worried” Israel might have done so.

He said: “Am I worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law, because this particular premises has been bombed or whatever?

“Yes, of course I’m worried about that.”

Pressed again on whether he has received legal advice, he said “the short answer is no”. However he said “it’s not really a yes or no answer”.

He said lawyers “give you lots of advice” about events they are worried about, and their job is to “go away, consult with the Israeli authorities.. ask a bunch of questions” before making a judgement.

It comes as Israel prepares to defend itself at The International Court of Justice in The Hague this week, after South Africa accused it of genocide in its war against Hamas.

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The conflict was sparked after Hamas’s 7 October attacks against Israel, which saw some 1,200 people killed and around 240 taken hostage.

During a ceasefire in November 105 hostages were released.

However, Lord Cameron told the committee that two British nationals remain hostage.

“There are two British nationals who remain as hostages. I don’t want to make any further comment on them,” he said.

Asked if it is known whether the two people are still alive, the minister said: “I just don’t want to say any more. We don’t have any information to share with you.”

Libya intervention criticism ‘bunk’

Later in the hearing, Lord Cameron also defended his decision to intervene in Libya during his time as prime minister, calling criticism of the action “bunk”.

During his time in charge, an international coalition led by Britain and France launched a campaign of air and missile strikes against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in March that year after the regime threatened to attack the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

A Foreign Affairs Committee report in 2016 described Britain’s military intervention in Libya as based on “erroneous assumptions” and an “incomplete understanding” of the rebellion against the former dictator.

It also heavily criticised Lord Cameron for turning a limited intervention intended to protect civilians into an “opportunist policy of regime change” based on inadequate intelligence.

The former Tory leader rejected the report’s findings, calling it “bunk”.

He told MPs: “The idea that, as prime minister, you would launch some action in Libya, on the basis of what… you thought it would be a good idea for no reason. We were genuinely concerned there was going to be a slaughter.

“It was right to intervene, it was right to stop Gaddafi killing his own people. It was right to give that country the chance of a brighter future. They didn’t want to have that help in reconstruction.”

Spain is to reintroduce the mandatory wearing of face masks in hospitals after a spike in flu and COVID cases.

The nationwide mandate by Spain’s central government is due to come into force on 10 January – despite opposition from some regional health authorities.

Spain’s minister of health, Monica Garcia, said the move was necessary to protect healthcare professionals.

“We are talking about putting on a mask when you enter a health centre and taking it off when you leave,” Ms Garcia told Spain’s Cadena Ser radio.

“I don’t think it is any drama. It is a basic and simple measure of the first order,” she added.

It comes after six areas, including Valencia, Catalonia, Murcia, and the Canary Islands, introduced regional mask-wearing mandates.

Spain’s central government proposed on Monday extending that requirement nationwide but received pushback from other regions – many of whom argued that mask use should be recommended but not obligatory.

Ms Garcia’s ministry decided to impose the measure after failing to reach an agreement with the regional health authorities.

While regional governments are in charge of healthcare in Spain, the central government can intervene if it deems it necessary.

Spain declared a formal end to the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic last July, saying people no longer needed to wear masks in health and care centres and pharmacies.

It was one of the last countries in Europe to do so.

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However, it has seen a spike in cases of COVID, flu and other respiratory illnesses over the Christmas and New Year period, in what is being labelled a “tridemic”.

According to data published by the state-backed Carlos III Health Institute, in the last week of 2023, flu cases spiked 75 per cent in Spain, with 4,383 cases for every 100,000 people.

COVID-19 cases recently stabilised, with only 10 per cent of tests positive at the end of 2023, according to the institute.

However, it added the virus is causing a rising number of hospital admissions, especially among older people.