Man jailed for attacking elderly woman

Dinesh Lal has been jailed for seven and a half years

A man who indecently assaulted and burgled an elderly woman at knife point has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Dinesh Lal, 43 - an illegal over-stayer from Fiji - will be deported after serving a third of his sentence, the High Court at Auckland heard this morning.

In two and a half years he will be sent back to Fiji and reunited with his 46-year-old wife Ranu who, it is understood, was also sent back to Fiji after she was convicted of obstructing police to help her husband avoid arrest.

Justice Edwin Wylie said Lal targeted the Papatoetoe home because he knew the owner and would likely have been aware his mother was home.

The defendant had bought cars from the victim's son, who said he considered Lal a "friend".

He was eventually found guilty of aggravated burglary, kidnapping and indecent assault at trial but his lawyer Glenn Dixon told the court today his client continued to deny the offending.

On January 8, 2014, Lal snuck in through a laundry door at the defendant's address and grabbed the 76-year-old as she went out to bring in the washing.

Lal was wielding a knife and had his face covered with a cloth or mask as he dragged the woman through the kitchen and into the bedroom.

He threw her face-down onto the bed and covered her head in a towel while he tied her wrists with her own veil.

As he forced his weight onto her, Lal sexually assaulted the victim before punching her in the back three times.

Shortly afterwards, the woman lost consciousness and was left bound and bruised on the floor while Lal ransacked the house.

He made off with $200.

Justice Wylie, who permanently suppressed the woman's name, said she suffered injuries to her neck, back, jaw and arm.

"The offending must've been terrifying for the victim," he said.

According to her written statement she was now scared to be alone and her son had started working from home to give her peace of mind.

Crown prosecutor Glyn Hughes said the attack was "premeditated, violent and opportunistic" and urged the judge to impose a minimum-period of imprisonment to denounce Lal's conduct but also to protect the people of Fiji.

However, Justice Wylie believed that was not appropriate.