Labourer given life term for murder of caretaker
A24-year-old labourer of Navua has been handed a mandatory life imprisonment for killing a caretaker last year.
Aliki Waliqi Livai Kiko murdered Lumilote Vibote between February 5 and February 6, 2021, at Navua.
Kiko pleaded guilty to the charge of murder and admitted to the summary of facts.
The deceased was 75 years old and a caretaker of a farm in Navua.
Kiko, 24, worked as a labourer at Kaiming Agro Ginger Factory in Navua.
What happened
On February 5, 2021, the deceased went to a friend’s home in Navua and drank yaqona with friends until midnight.
He then decided to walk to his home nearby.
Kiko on the other hand had finished work on February 5, 2021, and had collected his $130 weekly pay.
He then went and bought some liquor.
He met his friend and they went to Kiko’s home to consume alcohol. They also smoked some marijuana.
After a while, Kiko and his friend ran out of alcohol. They later decided to go out to the road to steal some money and drinks.
He took an iron rod and kitchen knife from his home and went towards the Crest Farm Road.
On the road, Kiko met the deceased who was at the time returning to his home.
According to Kiko, he called the deceased, who later swore back at him.
Kiko took no notice of the same and kept walking. However, he later thought about the swear words and returned to the deceased.
He then struck the deceased multiple times on the head with the iron rod.
The deceased fell to the ground heavily injured but was still breathing.
Kiko later dragged him to the drain and stabbed the left side of the deceased’s chest eight times.
He then stole $100 from the deceased.
High Court Judge Justice Salesi Temo said there was only one sentence for those found guilty of murder, that was, a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
Justice Temo told Kiko: “You said, you murdered the deceased because he swore at you.
“This was your version. However, it was never an excuse to unlawfully take someone’s life,” he said.
“You have caused untold miseries to the deceased’s family.”
Justice Temo sentenced him to mandatory life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years to be served before a pardon may be considered by the President of Fiji.