A 35-year-old man has been remanded in custody by the Magistrates Court in Suva on charges related to the murder of his one-year-old daughter and serious assaults against his defacto partner and a three-year-old boy. Sairusi Ceinaturaga appeared before Resident Magistrate Jeremaia Savou this afternoon facing multiple serious charges.
Ceinaturaga is accused of one count of murder, one count of serious assault causing actual bodily harm, and one count of causing grievous harm. Allegations suggest that he struck the child with an aluminum cooking spoon, hit the toddler’s head against a wall, and then threw the child onto a mattress. Furthermore, he is accused of slapping his deceased daughter’s three-year-old brother and biting him on the face, in addition to assaulting his partner.
The incident came to light last Thursday when medical personnel at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital notified the police after the child was pronounced dead upon arrival. Authorities reportedly found visible injuries on the child, leading them to suspect foul play. Ceinaturaga, who is the defacto partner of the child’s mother, has a documented history of abusive behavior.
Magistrate Savou has forwarded the case to the High Court, where it is scheduled for its first mention on November 4.