A 35-year-old man has been remanded by the Magistrates Court in Suva, facing multiple charges, including 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.
Ceinaturaga is charged with one count of murder, one count of serious assault causing actual bodily harm, and one count of causing grievous harm. He allegedly struck the child with an aluminum cooking spoon, slammed the toddler’s head against a wall, and then 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 partner.
The incident came to light last Thursday when medical staff at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital notified the police after the child was declared dead upon arrival. Authorities reported discovering visible injuries on the child, which raised suspicions of foul play. Ceinaturaga is identified as the defacto partner of the child’s mother and has a 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.