A 24 year old man appeared in the Suva Magistrates court this afternoon charged with the alleged murder of a 4 year old girl in Beqa.

Sefenaia Lotudina of Nawasomu village, Beqa is alleged to have committed the offence on 19th September this year.

His lawyer Aseri Vakaloloma while requesting to defer the plea made a bail application and informed the court that the accused uncle, who lives at the Army Barracks in Nabua will act as his assurity.

However, objecting the bail application, DPP Lawyer Peter Bulamainivalu alleged that they have received information that one of the proposed assurity for the accused has contacted witnesses in the case and threatened them. Bulamainivalu also revealed that the accused and the victim were cousins and all the witnesses in the case are also related.

Magistrate Mary Muir raised serious concerns on the allegations can told Bulamainivalu that he should not make such allegations from the bench but needs to provide evidence as the person alleged to have threatened witnesses is interfering in the case and can also be charged.

He also raised concern that the proposed assurities in the case are related to the accused mother, who according to Bulamainivalu was informed by Police that certain evidence could also implicate the mother in the alleged crime.

Vakaloloma than informed the court that the accused has three uncles at the Army Barracks and did not know who the DPP was referring to.

After a short adjournment, Vakaloloma agreed to change the assurity and the case has been stood down till this hour to make a decision on the bail application. The case has also been transferred to the Suva High Court for its next call.