Justice Sunil Sharma handed a mandatory life sentence to Shalendra Bhan Singh,46, on April 14 at the High Court in Lautoka.

Justice Sharma said: “There can be no justification for taking away another human life, in such circumstances you were selfish and cold-hearted, it was an unprovoked attack on a defenceless victim.”

It was on December 25, 2017, in Lautoka, when Singh’s stepdaughter who was the deceased’s de-facto partner invited the deceased to celebrate Christmas at Singh’s house.

A dispute broke out between the two while they were drinking, and the deceased swore at Singh.

After neighbours managed to separate the two, the deceased left and stood on the road away from Singh’s house.

The court heard that after a while, Singh saw the deceased on the road and walked towards him with a piece of timber which he used to strike him several times while also kicking and stomping the deceased resulting in his death.

In mitigation, the defence submitted Singh was earning $150 per week as a carpenter, was remorseful for his actions, had a son in Year 2, sought forgiveness from the family of the deceased and sought the forgiveness and leniency of the court.

The aggravating factors were that the attack was unprovoked as the deceased was standing on the road unsuspectingly, and video footage showed children from neighbouring houses were exposed to violence.

The court heard the victim impact statement of the deceased’s grandmother who told the court she still carried guilt as she allowed the deceased to go to Singh’s house and the deceased’s twin brother who said he missed his brother and the family stopped celebrating Christmas after 2017.

Justice Sharma told Singh he was a heartless person who had no value for human life.

“The manner in which you had assaulted the deceased was callous and inhumane in full view of the children and the residents of the settlement you were residing in,” Justice Sharma said.

Singh will have to serve a minimum term of 18 years imprisonment before he is eligible for a pardon and has 30 days to appeal his sentence.

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