Court pushes to remove general purpose glue from shops

Suva Resident Magistrate Yogesh Prasad has raised concerns about the growing problem of glue sniffing in Fiji, saying it requires urgent attention.

Magistrate Prasad made the comments during the sentencing of a 19-year-old man who was caught peeping into a woman’s home while under the influence of glue on November 16 last year.

The accused, Sailasa Lutunaivalu, was shown leniency yesterday after the court ordered that no police record be made and imposed no sentence.

This followed his admission that he had been sniffing glue since he was a Year 10 student and that he purchased the substance for $5 from pawn shops.

His parents were present in court and testified about changes in his behaviour.

His father told the court the accused had become more aggressive and frequently used abusive language.

The accused said he was remorseful and apologised for his actions, adding that his parents were taking him to church and supporting his rehabilitation.

Magistrate Prasad thanked the accused for his honesty and said glue sniffing was also contributing to the increasing number of patients at Saint Giles Psychiatric Hospital.

He said he would raise the issue with senior magistrates and explore whether general-purpose glue could be removed from shop shelves.

However, he noted that any such move would ultimately require a decision by Parliament.

Magistrate Prasad said he was satisfied the accused’s parents were making genuine efforts to rehabilitate their son and entrusted his care to them.