A construction worker has been sentenced to six years and eight months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to manslaughter by recklessness over the death of a man following an assault in Makoi, Nasinu in 2023.
Justice Pita Bulamainaivalu sentenced 42-year-old Daniel O’Brien Lal in the High Court in Suva yesterday.
The court heard that on May 29, 2023, Lal instructed a driver to take him and three co-accused to Zain Kaiyum’s residence at Nasinu after a packet of illicit crystal substance previously handed over went missing.
When informed that customers had stolen the items, Lal ordered his associates to force Mr Kaiyum into the vehicle. Mr Kaiyum was held against his will and subjected to repeated physical assaults across multiple locations in Makoi.
Lal continuously threatened, punched, and kicked Mr Kaiyum while demanding payment for the lost goods.
Mr Kaiyum was left in his undergarments and severely injured before police were alerted by a resident.
Mr Kaiyum was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and succumbed to his injuries on July 2, 2023.
In sentencing, Justice Bulamainaivalu said the offending resulted in the loss of a human life and required a sentence that reflected denunciation and deterrence.
Lal will be eligible for parole after serving six years of his head sentence.
The remaining three accused have denied the charge and will stand trial.
