Assessors at the High Court in Suva yesterday unanimously found Josua Colanaudolu guilty of murder, rape, abduction and indecently annoying females.

Colanaudolu, a 39-year-old ex-security guard, was found guilty by the assessors of raping and killing 14-year-old Mere Ailevu in March last year.

He appeared before Justice Salesi Temo.

Justice Temo will deliver his verdict today.

The charges:

Colanaudolu was charged with one count of murder, six counts of rape, one count of indecently annoying females and four counts of abduction. There were four victims in the matter, including the deceased, Mere Ailevu.

He was found guilty of all charges.

•  For the first victim, Colanaudolu was charged with two counts each of abduction and rape between January1, 1998 and February 31, 2001.
•  For the second victim, Colanaudolu was charged with one count each of abduction, rape and indecently annoying females between June 1, 2002 and December 31, 2004.
•  For the third victim, Colanaudolu was charged with one count of rape  on November 16, 2012.
•  Mere Ailevu was the fourth victim. She died. Colanaudolu faced two counts of rape, one count of each of abduction and murder between March 13 and 14, 2016.

Summing up

After the two-week trial, Justice Temo summed up the case.

Justice Temo analysed the evidence and statements that were presented in court by 26 witnesses.

The court was told that the first victim was raped at the age of 14.

She gave evidence in court that she was on her way to the shop when Colanaudolu covered her mouth, took her to his house, punched and raped her. She became pregnant after that.

The second victim told the court that Colanaudolu entered her house while she was breastfeeding her child, threatened her with a knife and raped her.

The third victim told the court that Colanaudolu forcefully took her to the beach, raped her and fled the scene when she fell unconscious.

The court heard that Mere Ailevu was abducted, raped and murdered by Colanaudolu.

Justice Temo told the assessors that they should take note that Colanaudolu had confessed to raping and murdering Mere Ailevu in his caution interview with the Police.

He also told the assessors that Colanaudolu had claimed he was assaulted although there were no injuries in the medical report.

“The accused was caution interviewed four times.

“The prosecution failed to produce any eye witness for the incident where Colanaudolu allegedly murdered the fourth victim, but that does not mean the crime cannot be proven.

“The prosecution relied on the caution interview in which the accused had allegedly confessed the crime on abduction, rape and murder of the fourth victim and the defence counsel did not cross examine the prosecution’s video recording,” Justice Temo said.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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