The presence of the church and culture in the lives of families in Samoa was questioned by the Supreme Court as a 71-year-old man was jailed for 22 years for raping his two granddaughters.

Judge Justice Niava Mata Tuatagaloa ordered a name suppression for the victims and the defendant.

Before she delivered her sentence on Tuesday, Justice Niava made it clear to the defendant that these types of crimes were on the rise in Samoa and it was sad to see that girls and women were no longer safe in their own homes.

"The big question is where are our culture and Christianity? Where is the church? Where is the trust that these young girls gave you to ensure they feel secure at home?" Justice Niava said.

"These crimes are done by senseless people like you without mercy on poor victims," she added.

Justice Niava told the defendant that he was a merciless grandfather for committing the ugly crimes on his son's daughters and the court has to come up with punishment that will make people like the defendant learn from their mistakes.

Justice Niava sent the defendant to 22 years in prison after deducting all the years and months as mitigating factors for the defendant at a starting point of 15 years for each count.

Justice Niava sentenced the man to 11 years in jail for each of the two counts which are to be served consecutively. This means the two sentences were added together.

The incidents happened in 2022 when the defendant was 69-years-old and he raped his 16-year-old granddaughter.

After two years he did it again to the younger sibling who was 14 at the time.

The defendant pleaded guilty when he first appeared in the Supreme Court in 2022 but later changed his plea to not guilty.

It was later in this year that the defendant again pleaded guilty to both charges of rape.

Representing the defendant was Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt while Lucy Sio-Ofoiawas was the appointed prosecutor.