A 35-year-old woman charged in connection with the death of her four-year-old daughter has been refused bail in the High Court in Suva.

Rozleen Razia Khan, who is charged with murder, appeared before Justice Vinsent Perera.

It is alleged that Khan allegedly drove a car into the Rewa River on May 6, 2018, which led to the death of her daughter.

State lawyer Susan Serukai, representing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, objected to bail and laid out several grounds in a written submission.

Ms Serukai’s main ground for objection was the safety of the accused’s other two children, whose ages were not revealed in court.

The State also informed the court that Nisha had lived in Vanua Levu for 18 years and had relatives in Nadi.

Ms Serukai told the court that the accused was going through a bout of depression during the time of the alleged incident after a domestic violence issue with her husband.

Defence lawyer Talei Kean of the Legal Aid Commission told the court that the bail application was made because Khan wanted to look after her other two children.

Ms Serukai responded that Khan’s children are well looked after by their grandparents and they had a strong case and evidence against Khan.

Justice Perera told the court while refusing Khan’s bail that the bail was not appropriate to be considered at this stage because of the seriousness of the case and concerns on the safety of Khan’s other children.

Another determining factor in refusing bail was that Khan was substantial flight risk.

The matter was adjourned to July 2.

Edited by Epineri Vula

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