Suspended term for dad of five

A44-year-old man from Waciwaci Village in Lakeba, Lau, was sentenced to three months imprisonment yesterday for three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The accused, Rusiate Saini, had his sentence suspended for two years and was ordered by Chief Magistrate Usaia Ratuvili not to reoffend during that time period. The facts revealed that on September 3, 2016, Saini assaulted three people. At the time in question he had tried to intervene and break up a fight between some villagers.

When the victims approached him he assaulted them and hit one of them with a stick and threw a torch at them. The first complainant received several injuries, including joint pains and swelling on his face and head. The accused pleaded guilty and admitted to the summary of facts and the court found that his plea was unequivocal and he was convicted accordingly. In his mitigation, Saini submitted that he was a first offender and was married with five children. He explained in court that he was trying to stop the fight. However, he was attacked and he reacted resulting in his offence.

The accused submitted that he was the sole breadwinner in the family and he had relocated his family to Suva for better opportunities. He sought the leniency of the court and requested for a non-custodial sentence to enable him to continue supporting his family. A 28-day period was given for appeal to the High Court.