The Lautoka High Court has jailed a 22-year-old for manslaughter after recklessly riding a horse that fatally injured a two-year-old child in 2020.
Emosi Rainaka was 17 at the time of the offence and was sentenced to one year and nine months imprisonment.
He had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting that on October 1, 2020, he rode a horse at dangerous speed along a feeder road in Nawaicoba, Nadi.
Despite warnings from bystanders to slow down, Mr Rainaka continued whipping the horse, causing it to gallop uncontrollably.
The horse trampled two-year-old Serumaia Vesibula, who was standing on the road waiting for his siblings.
The child died from severe head trauma, including brain stem damage and multiple injuries.
Acting Judge Sekonaia Vodokisolomone stressed the seriousness of the offence, noting Mr Rainaka’s blatant disregard for others’ safety.
The judge added that while juvenile sentencing law limits imprisonment to two years, the gravity of the child’s death warranted a strong message of deterrence and community denunciation.
