The three assessors have found a couple not guilty of manslaughter in relation to the death of their 1-year-10 months old child.

They returned with a unanimous not guilty opinion after the summing up of the case by High Court Judge, Vinsent Perera.

Justice Perera will now deliver his judgement at 11.45am Monday.

It is alleged that 34‑year‑old Petero Taitusi and 29‑year‑old Loata Vitalina of Sawanikula, Vunidawa failed to ensure the safety of their 1-year-10 month old child which caused the child’s death.

The prosecution lawyer, Susan Serukai told the assessors that from the 19th to 28th of February 2013, the parents failed to take the child to CWM Hospital or the nearest health centre which is Vunidawa Health Centre.

She says the question is whether they breached the duty to take the child to the hospital, and if this was the case, then it is negligence which is a crime.

Serukai told the assessors that the parents deprived the child from getting the treatment.

She says they did not ask for help but were more worried about asking for forgiveness.

Defence lawyer, Lisiate Qetaki who is representing Petero Taitusi told the assessors that even with proper care, death is inevitable.

Qetaki says the question is whether there was an omission of Taitusi’s duty.

He told the court that Taitusi had done his duty as a father and the child was not sick when they went to Sawanikula but got sick on the 28th of February, 2013.

Defence lawyer Thomson Lee who is representing Loata Vitalina told the assessors that as a caring mother, Vitalina took the child home on the 19th of February 2013 because he was hungry.

He says the staff nurse of Samabula Health Centre had detected that the child was seriously ill on the 12th of April, 2012.

Lee told the assessors that the nurse detected that the child had pneumonia in July 2012 but she did not refer the case to CWM Hospital and sent Vitalina and the child back home.

He told the court that if the nurse had explained what pneumonia is and that it would kill the child, Vitalina would not have gone to Sawanikula.