A Nadi man who killed his wife, dumped ger body in a well and hired an excavator and covered the well with soil has been jailed for life.
The murder took place on September 11, 2018, in Malamala, Nadi.
Moneel Narayan was married to the deceased, Sonika Singh and both had two children.
The deceased was living separately at the time of the offence after a family dispute which ended up in court.
The deceased had obtained a DVRO against Moneel and a custody matter was pending in the Family Court.
“This murder was clearly intentional, motivational and premeditated; it involved violence and affected the deceased’s young children,” said Justice Aruna Aluthge in his May 16 rulimg.
“However, in terms of community protection, an early release during the offenders’ lifetime will have comparatively less concern for society given the isolated matrimonial dispute that had led to the offending and lack of evidence of previous violent behaviour on the part of the offender.”
The judge set a non-parole period of 18 years.
