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The Suva court today denied bail for a 24-year-old Beqa villager charged with murdering a 4-year-old girl.
Magistrate Mary Muir said she cannot grant bail because the accused, Sevanaia Lotudina, may interfere with the witnesses in the case and the ongoing police investigation.
Lotudina has been remanded in custody. His case will be called again in the High Court on November 26.
Yesterday, prosecution lawyer Kevueli Bulamainaivalu objected to the bail saying he did not want Lotudina to interfere with other suspects. He was referring to Lotudina’s mother who had also been questioned by police in the course of their investigatiion.
However, defense lawyer Aseri Vakaloloma argued that the mother had been released and was no longer a suspect.
The bail surety was given by Lotudina’s uncle, Olipani Baba, a retired civil aviation officer and Justice of Peace who lives one kilometre away from Lotudina’s parents at Nasese.
Poice charged Lotudina on Wednesday, almost two months since the girl’s body was found in waters near the island of Beqa.
