A MAN accused of attempting to murder his 70-year-old father with a cane knife has been acquitted of the charge but convicted of the lesser offence of unlawfully and maliciously causing grievous harm.
Arone Vonosewa was found not guilty of the charge of murder after Justice Siainiu Fa’alogo-Bull ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to kill his father, Mario Nasoro, during an incident at Masi Village on August 23, 2024.
The court heard that the incident arose from a domestic dispute involving Vonosewa, his younger brother and their father. After a physical altercation inside the family home, Vonosewa struck his father with a knife, causing a 12-centimetre laceration to the back of his head, damage to a tendon in his middle finger and bruising to his back.
The State argued that Vonosewa intended to kill his father, relying on the nature of the weapon, the injuries sustained and evidence that threats had been made during the confrontation.
However, Justice Bull found the evidence did not establish an intention to cause death.
Evidence also showed that blows to the victim’s back were delivered with the blunt side of the blade and that Vonosewa stopped the attack when instructed to do so.
While acquitting Vonosewa of attempted murder, the court found he had deliberately and unlawfully caused serious injuries to his father.
