A FATHER convicted of the manslaughter of his six-year-old son after allowing him to ride on a forklift at his workplace has been sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment.
Justice Dane Tuiqereqere sentenced Savenaca Damuni on June 30, after he pleaded guilty to a count of manslaughter arising from a breach of duty committed in 2023. According to an agreed summary of facts, the accused had been employed at a timber yard for about nine years and had operated a forklift for around one year, despite never receiving formal training or holding a licence.
On the day of the incident, Damuni allowed his son to accompany him in moving timber using the forklift.
The child initially sat beside him before asking to stand on one of the forklift’s forks.
Damuni agreed and continued operating the machine, but after losing sight of his son while manoeuvring the forklift, Damuni stopped to search for him, but unknowingly drove over the child a second time while attempting to locate him. The boy later died from multiple skull fractures.
Justice Tuiqereqere described the offending as objectively serious, finding that Damuni had failed to appreciate the obvious risks to his son’s safety and had breached his parental responsibilities.
The court also considered a victim impact statement from Damuni’s wife, who forgave her husband, described the incident as a tragic accident, and noted that he remained the family’s sole breadwinner and a vital source of support for their remaining children.
While acknowledging that Damuni would carry lifelong guilt, the judge ruled that a wholly suspended sentence would be inappropriate.
Damuni was ordered to serve six months’ imprisonment, with the remaining 26 months suspended for five years.
