Acting Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku has declined Sairusi Senilawalawa’s application to have his murder charge reduced to manslaughter.
Sairusi Senilawalawa, 45, who is charged with one count of murder and two of assault, appeared before Justice Thushara Rajasinghe in the High Court in Suva.
Defence lawyer Karen Boseiwaqa indicated to the court their request to have the charge reduced to manslaughter, advising Mr Senilawalawa on the provisions of the desired charge.
Ms Boseiwaqa said her client was willing to take a progressive approach, and since the request was declined, she asked the DPP to provide the postmortem examination pictures.
In reply, DPP lawyer Naazish Ali said the photographs disclosed only consisted of images of the deceased at the crime scene, not from the postmortem examination.
Mr Senilawalawa had his plea recorded, pleading not guilty to the count of murder but guilty to the other counts.
Regarding bail, Ms Ali objected on the grounds that there was a high likelihood of the accused interfering with witnesses and his wife.
She informed the court that there was difficulty in locating the sureties as contact attempts had been futile.
Justice Rajasinghe ordered Ms Boseiwaqa to have full information of Mr Senilawalawa’s sureties ready by the next court date.
Both parties have agreed to meet on August 13 at the ODPP’s office in Suva to discuss the proposed agreed facts and return to court on August 15.
Mr Senilawalawa is alleged to have killed Ovasisi Salusalu, 40, on April 21. Police said that on that day, Salusalu tried to intervene in a domestic altercation between Mr Senilawalawa and his partner when he was allegedly assaulted by the accused.
The court heard that there was no relationship between the two men.
The accused has been remanded in custody and the case adjourned to July 12.