A 35-year-old father, Sairusi Ceinaturaga, has been remanded by the Magistrates Court in Suva on multiple charges, including the murder of his one-year-old daughter. He faces additional charges of serious assault causing grievous harm to his defacto partner and a three-year-old boy.
Ceinaturaga appeared before Resident Magistrate Jeremaia Savou. He is charged with one count of murder, one count of serious assault causing actual bodily harm, and one count of an act to cause grievous harm. Allegations suggest that he struck the child with an aluminum cooking spoon, slammed the toddler’s head against a wall, and threw him onto a mattress.
Additionally, it is claimed that Ceinaturaga slapped the three-year-old brother of the deceased child and bit him on the face. He is also accused of assaulting his defacto partner.
This incident came to light last Thursday when medical personnel at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital notified Totogo Police after the child was pronounced dead upon arrival. Police discovered visible injuries on the child, prompting suspicions of foul play.
Ceinaturaga, the defacto partner of the child’s mother, reportedly 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.