Former Mackay Cutter Viliami Teukava Fakavamo Paki found guilty of child rape

A once promising Queensland football player will now spend the next two years in jail after a jury found him guilty of vile conduct against a child he abused after securing a job as an unqualified teacher’s aide.

Former Mackay Cutters player Viliami Teukava Fakavamo Paki was found guilty of digitally raping a child and jailed for four years.

A former Mackay Cutters player will spend the next two years behind bars after he raped a child over two months and may face being deported for failing the “good character” test to stay in the country.

Viliami Teukava Fakavamo Paki, who was born in New Zealand but grew up in Emerald, was signed to the QRL team in 2018.

But his promising football career was cut short in 2019 after he suffered injuries including to his hamstring, Mackay District Court heard.

Through his involvement with the club he was able to secure work as an unqualified teacher’s aide at a Mackay school and this was how he met his young victim.

The offending occurred over two months in 2020 in the Mackay region.

Former Mackay Cutters player Viliami Teukava Fakavamo Paki was found guilty of digitally raping a child and jailed for four years.

“He intruded into the normal upbringing of a (young) girl,” Judge Michael Byrne said, adding he had “gained the impression” the offending was not predatory.

The court heard Paki stopped of his own volition “as soon as he had some other woman showing interest in him”.

Paki, 24, had denied the digital rape and indecent treatment of a child charges, but on Thursday a jury returned guilty verdicts on four counts of rape.

He was acquitted of the indecent treatment of a child count.

“It seems to me, based on immaturity on your part, (you) gained some ideation on this girl,” Judge Byrne said.

“It may be that you misread those signals … (the) jury accepted you digitally penetrated her on four occasions.”

Viliami Teukava Fakavamo Paki will spent two years behind bars.

The court heard there was no evidence of threats, or any force beyond what was necessary in committing the offence.

Defence barrister Scott Moon said his client was a young man at the time and there was no drugs or alcohol involved.

The court heard Paki, who had no like criminal history, would be a reportable offender for five years as a result of his conviction and under the Migration Act it was mandatory that his status in Australia would be cancelled for failing to meet the “good character” test.

However Mr Moon said it was unknown if his client would actually be deported as the department took into consideration factors including how long he had been in the country and the level of the offending.

Judge Byrne accepted there was nothing to suggest Paki would commit a similar offence in the future and agreed with Mr Moon’s push to release him on a suspended jail term.

Pake was given four years jail to be suspended after serving two years. Convictions were recorded.