A 35-year-old man has been remanded by the Magistrates Court in Suva after being charged with the murder of his one-year-old daughter and serious assaults on his de facto partner and a three-year-old boy. Sairusi Ceinaturaga appeared before Resident Magistrate Jeremaia Savou today.
Ceinaturaga faces charges including one count of murder, one count of serious assault causing actual bodily harm, and one count of an act causing grievous harm. Allegations indicate that he struck the child with an aluminum cooking spoon, banged the toddler’s head against a wall, and threw him onto a mattress. Additionally, he is accused of slapping the deceased child’s three-year-old brother and biting him on the face, as well as assaulting his de facto partner.
The tragic incident occurred last Thursday when medical staff at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital notified Totogo Police after the child was declared dead upon arrival. Police reported that visible injuries on the child raised suspicions of foul play. Ceinaturaga, who is the partner of the child’s mother, has a history of abusive behavior.
Magistrate Savou has referred the case to the High Court, where it is scheduled for its first mention on November 4.