A 46 year old man of Vatuwaqa who killed his 8 year old son last year was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Suva High Court this morning.

Mahendra Sharma committed the offence on 13th July last year when he took his son, Siddhartha Sharma in a bus to Waidroka, Navua.

The court heard that after getting off the bus, the two walked up the hill in Serua.

They were tired and rested up in the hills for more than two hours.

During this time the 8 year old son fell asleep.

The father then took out a pair of jeans and used it to suffocate the son.

Sharma through his counsel admitted in court that he intended to kill his son.

Acting Judge Justice, Salesi Temo while sentencing him, took into account that Sharma has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in language from a University in India and has already spent 10 months in custody.

It was also taken into account that he cooperated with the police and pleaded guilty to save the court's time.

Justice Temo further stated that Sharma is tormented by the loss of his son, which was caused by him.

According to Justice Temo, this fact will haunt him for the rest of his life and in a sense, is a life imprisonment itself.

He also took into account the troubles Sharma has gone through in his two marriages, however he said that no matter what pressure there was, it is no excuse as a parent to take the life of his child.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment and the court ruled that he can only apply for parole after serving a minimum of 13 years in jail.


Story by: Shalvin Deo