Patient 9 to be Questioned by Police Once Cleared
High Court to rule on former teacher’s appeal case against her suspended sentence
The High Court in Suva will deliver its judgment on May 25, in an appeal case of a former teacher who was convicted and handed a suspended sentence for assaulting a student at the prominent primary school in Suva. Sylvia Kaur Singh,40, appeared before Judge Justice Daniel Goundar yesterday for the hearing of her appeal.
She was convicted for the offence of assault causing actual bodily harm and handed a sentence of nine months’ imprisonment suspended for five years by the Magistrates Court in Suva.
On July 19, 2018, at around 1.30pm, the complainant, a nine-year-old student of Gospel Primary School,
The latest Police raid in the Northern Division has resulted in the discovery of more than 200 plants believed to be marijuana.
The raid was conducted in the interior of the Loa Hills in Cakaudrove by officers from Tukavesi.
Acting on a tip-off, the team raided the farm allegedly belonging to a 47-year-old farmer and uprooted 205 plants believed to be marijuana. The suspect remains in custody and the drugs will be sent for analysis. In a separate raid, another team of officers also based at the Tukavesi Police Station arrested a 24-yearold farmer residing at the Vunimakosoi Settlement, Navou. was inside his classroom and giving out the inter-house letters to his classmates and was also playing with another classmate when Singh walked in and allegedly slapped the right cheek of the complainant.
Singh had allegedly also pulled the front part of the complainant’s shirt and slapped his right cheek. The medical report presented in the Magistrates Court had shown a slight swelling of the right side of the face which was painful upon palpation, a painful right eye when moving eyeball and pain in the upper back upon palpation.
Singh filed an appeal against the conviction and sentence.
Singh had initially pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to which she had appealed at the High Court.
This was done after he was allegedly found with dried leaves believed to be marijuana wrapped in a sarong. The third case reported in the Northern Division resulted in the arrest of a 32-year-old farmer of Matakunea, Savusavu.
He was allegedly found with sachets of dried leaves believed to be marijuana. The suspect was searched by an officer in Savusavu Town because he was seen to be acting in a suspicious manner.
Investigations continue into these cases.
Police is encouraged by the show of support towards the ongoing efforts in curbing the illegal drug trade. all
Police Commissioner has confirmed that Patient 9 will also be interviewed by Police.
Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho said investigators on Monday interviewed Patient 1 after he was cleared by the medical authorities after completing his second mandatory quarantine isolation.
“Investigations were earlier put on hold regarding claims that he had given false information to officials about his health status as investigators awaited medical clearance.
“He was interviewed at the Border Police Office in Nadi and released as investigations continue. “Once cleared the same process will be followed for Patient 9,” Brigadier-General Qiliho said.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in his statement last month said Patient 9 became infected at a large religious gathering he attended while overseas in India.
He said upon returning to
Fiji, the Patient 9 spent five days in the Nabua Settlement, and he then made his way by boat to Vanua Levu.
He then travelled to his home in Soasoa.
“This patient did not declare any symptoms when returning from travel, and did not follow the directive of entering into governmentmandated home quarantine –– a compulsory requirement for all those returning to the country from abroad that came into effect on the 19th of March.
“Three days after the directive came into effect, this individual proceeded to ignore it by hopping from Nadi to Suva to Labasa in the span of a week, potentially spreading COVID-19 via land, air, and sea over just a few days.”
Investigators on Monday interviewed Patient 1 after he was cleared by the medical authorities after completing his second mandatory quarantine isolation, said Police Commissioner Qiliho