A  crowd shouted angrily and booed the man who has been charged with the alleged rape and murder of 14-year-old Mere Ailevu when he was escorted out of the Navua Police Station yesterday.

Josua Colanaudolu, 39, a security officer at a bar in Pacific Harbour was escorted by burly Police officers as he made his way out of the station.

He has been charged with two counts of rape, one count of murder and one count of abduction in relation to Mere’s death.

Colanaudolu was taken to the station after appearing at the Navua Magistrates Court yesterday morning to have his lunch before being transported for remand at the Korovou Remand Centre.

The Station in Navua was also under heavy security by Police as close to 100 people gathered in front of it.

Police stopped people from moving closer to the accused when he came out.

He was handcuffed, wearing a white round neck tee-shirt, blue jeans slacks and flip- flops.

Colanaudolu rushed out from the station into the Police vehicle.

There were men, women and children who came from Pacific Harbour and some from as far as Suva to get a glimpse of the accused.

As the Police vehicle made its way out from the station’s car park, the crowd, ran towards the Navua market to get a proper glimpse of the accused when he passed by.

Meanwhile, in Suva a large crowd also gathered at the Government Building to get a glimpse of him early yesterday morning.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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