Second Fiji tourist issues chilling warning after suffering rape horror in island paradise – as ‘fake taxi driver’ accused of Virgin Australia sex attack faces court
A young tourist who was raped in Fiji has warned holidaymakers to be wary of the island paradise in a chilling warning that comes as the man accused of raping a Virgin Australia flight crew member appeared in court on Monday.
Ilaisa Tanoa Degei allegedly posed as a taxi driver on New Year’s Eve, picked up the Virgin Australia hostess at a Nadi bar and raped her on the way to her hotel.
Now a previous victim of a similar attack has broken her silence about her terrifying assault a man she had spoken to a few hours earlier.
The 26-year-old woman from Japan was making a brief stopover at Westfield Homestay in Nadi on her way back from Tonga last April when she claims she was the victim of a brutal sexual assault.
But despite knowing the identity of her attacker, police believe the rapist was allowed to go free to protect Fiji’s reputation as a ‘tropical paradise’.
“I even gave them a copy of his passport that my friend picked up at reception and still he wasn’t arrested,” the victim – known as Ms R – told Daily Mail Australia.
“They care more about making money than about women’s safety.”
Ms R says as soon as she left Fiji she was completely thwarted by the authorities and has been traumatized by both the attack and the shocking treatment since.
“I was just a traveler, so if the police don’t do anything about it, it seems like there’s no problem in Fiji,” Ms R said.
“Instead of covering it up, they’re just pretending it didn’t happen at all. It’s so disappointing.’
A Japanese tourist claims she was raped on her second night in Fiji and then stopped by island authorities after leaving the island paradise
The victim shared a series of bruises she claims she suffered during the alleged attack with Daily Mail Australia
The 26-year-old was on a short stopover at Westfield Homestay (pictured) in Nadi when a guest brutally attacked her
The woman was returning from Tonga last April when she was subjected to the brutal assault at her accommodation (pictured)
Ms R, a physiotherapist, woke up in her dorm room when a man who said he was from Guwahati, Assam, India but “lived in Australia” asked her to turn off the lights.
He told her he wanted to sleep, but later that night she said she was attacked by the same man who raped her in the dark dorm room.
“That couldn’t have been his first time,” she said. “He seemed to know how to deal with my resistance and if he did it once, he will do it again.”
Ms. R had visible injuries on her neck and leg, which she photographed as evidence.
She told a Fijian friend about the incident the next morning and they went together to report the attack at Namaka police station.
After providing details and the location of her attacker, including a copy of his passport, police then took her to hospital for medical examination.
But after leaving Fiji the next day, Ms R said her case had been forgotten.
“They never contacted me again and even when I call them they don’t give me any updates,” she said.
Ms R now says she will never return to Fiji and was devastated to hear about the alleged rape of the Virgin Australia staffer just months after her own ordeal.
Alleged ‘fake taxi driver’ Ilaisa Tanoa, 24, was escorted to the Nadi Magistrates Court in a police vehicle on Monday, wearing a brightly colored shirt
A female Virgin Australia flight crew member was allegedly sexually assaulted outside Bar One nightspot in Nadi, on Fiji’s west coast, in the early hours of New Year’s Day, while a male colleague was robbed and taken to hospital for treatment . a facial injury
The Virgin Australia crew is now back in Australia and has been asked to remain ‘contactable’ during the investigation so they can assist police with their ongoing investigations
But she says she has no faith in Fiji’s justice system after what she has experienced.
The 21-year-old Virgin cabin crew member had gone out with colleagues to a nightclub district and was allegedly sexually assaulted after leaving the Bar One club while trying to return to her hotel.
Degei, 24, a farmer from Fiji’s main island Viti Levu, was charged with the New Year’s Day attack on Saturday and faced the Nadi Magistrates Court on Monday.
The woman, who was separated from her friends, tried to get home after being locked out of the nightclub at 1am.
In a separate incident, a male colleague was also attacked and robbed after leaving the same club.
Daily Mail Australia last week exposed the sinister underbelly of Nadi, leaving unsuspecting travelers in the tourist town under the shadow of criminals.
Many taxis are refusing to work in the area after 10pm following a spate of brutal robberies on taxi drivers, leaving partygoers stranded.
“They are like ducks that often have no way home or back to their hotel before dawn,” a Fijian told Daily Mail Australia.
“Last year a taxi driver was murdered and many others robbed, so they have refused to work late until the government does more to protect them.
‘Not only has it caused problems for people getting back to their hotels, but it has also seen groups of heavily intoxicated men hanging out in the streets.
‘There were safety concerns months ago, so the government changed the club’s opening hours so they close at 1am on New Year’s Eve instead of 6am as usual.
‘Attacks on tourists are not new, but are covered up as much as possible.’