THE Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by one of the two men jailed for a horrific and brutal murder committed against a taxidriver in Sabeto, Nadi, in 2015.
The petitioner, Pauliasi Niusama Saukuru, was jointly charged with his co-accused, Ratubuli Nacegutuilagi, who was 19 at the time, for the murder of Reginald Singh, 29.
Saukuru was 16 and a student of Koroyaca Village, Sabeto, when he committed the offence on November 6, 2015.
During caution interviews, both youths voluntarily admitted their involvement. They explained that they had planned to travel to Nakabuta Village to visit Saukuru’s girlfriend but had no transport.
They walked from Sabeto Village to the Queen’s Highway junction, where they hired the deceased’s vehicle to drop them at Masimasi. Saukuru sat in the front passenger seat, while Nacegutuilagi sat in the back behind the deceased.
As the vehicle approached Masimasi, near M. Sadiq’s depot, Nacegutuilagi began strangling the deceased with a scarf, pinning his head against the driver’s seat while Saukuru searched Mr Singh for cash.
Saukuru then grabbed the scarf and pulled the deceased’s head while Ratubuli continued punching him with a stone.
They dragged Mr Singh out of the vehicle, and Saukuru banged his head on the road until he stopped breathing. They then placed the body in a nearby sugarcane field.
The youths drove off in the vehicle. On the way, they picked up a towel and a bottle of Fabuloso before stopping at a creek in Natalau to wash bloodstains from inside the vehicle.
After cleaning the vehicle, Saukuru drove to the Nadi Town Total Service Station and purchased $10 worth of diesel, then later bought $5 more at the Pacific Energy Service Station in Sigatoka using coins from the vehicle.
They continued along Sigatoka Valley Road and arrived at Nakabuta Village at 12.30am on November 7, 2015, where they spent the night at a farmhouse with Saukuru’s girlfriend.
The next morning, while driving along Nasau Rd to go diving for freshwater mussels, they were stopped by a Rajnesh Singh, who took the car keys and alerted the police.
During the police investigation, the body of Mr Singh was discovered and taken to Nadi Hospital.
On February 5, 2021, the Lautoka High Court sentenced Saukuru – who had pleaded guilty to one count of murder and one count of theft – to an aggregate sentence of 10 years’ detention.
Pursuant to section 31 of the Juveniles Act, the judge directed that the Minister for Social Welfare determine the appropriate place and conditions of detention. Until suitable arrangements were made, Saukuru was to remain in prison.
In connection with the furtherance of his education while detained, Saukuru said he had been applying to the minister for almost four years and nine months, but had never received an answer.
Before he was sentenced, he had been studying at the university but paused to pursue a Bachelor of Theology degree until his case was resolved. He now seeks the minister’s positive approval for this type of study.
However, the State submitted that this was the wrong forum for such relief, as the High Court had already placed responsibility for Saukuru’s detention in the hands of the minister, and it was, therefore, not for the present court to make any recommendations.
President Salesi Temo and Justices Anthony Gates and Alipate Qetaki held that the detention period imposed was, without doubt, a lenient sentence for such a brutal crime, and therefore, the petitioner must first complete his sentence.
Saukuru, with assistance likely provided by more experienced inmates, asked the court to review the lack of action by prison authorities and the minister regarding his education.
The court held that it cannot – and should not – undertake such a review, as it would require a detailed assessment of facilities, logistics, detention arrangements, supervision, and overall suitability. Such matters fall outside the role and jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
“This was a tragic case, firstly for the extreme brutality in which the petitioner and his co-accused took the deceased’s life away,” stated the Justices on October 30.
“Tragic too for Mr Singh’s wife and immediate family and others. Besides that, it was a reckless, pointless, unnecessary crime arising from a simple desire to reach his girlfriend’s village when they had no transport and no money.
“No doubt, this petitioner will make more of his life when he has completed his term.”
As a result, Saukuru’s special leave and petition are refused and dismissed.
