Sunia Mailau who is serving a prison sentence of nine-years nine-months for brutal offences, that included serious indecent assaults of his own daughter, had his appeal dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

He was convicted on five counts of serious indecent assault; four of incest and six counts of domestic violence, committed on his daughter, who was 17-years-old at the time.

He pleaded guilty to only one count of common assault.

The appeal was against his conviction and sentence.

The court heard that the offences were committed on six separate occasions from December 2016 and January 2017. On the first occasion, he had forced his daughter to smoke methamphetamine with him, before he violated her.

The Court of Appeal in their judgment on March 26, said all decisions by the Supreme Court judge are consistent with their view.

“It was brutal, callous and premeditated and involved a gross breach of trust. She was subjected to a terrifying and traumatising period of abuse."

As Hon. Mr Justice Cato said in his sentencing decision, that sentencing for this sort of offending must be set at a level that is effective to denounce this conduct, deter such offending and offer protection to vulnerable family members.