Man gets 12 years for premix attack on couple

A 25-year-old man who became angry over jokes made while drinking with relatives before dousing a couple with premix and setting them alight has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by the High Court in Labasa.

Vilitati Bulivocea pleaded guilty to one count of an act intended to cause grievous harm, one count of causing grievous harm and one count of arson.

He appeared before Justice Lee James Burney.

Threat followed by attack

The court heard that Tukini and his wife, Mereamo, invited Bulivocea to their home to socialise and drink rum on May 16, 2024.

While they were laughing and joking together, Bulivocea became angry.

Before leaving, he threatened to burn down their house, saying he had sawn the wood used to help build it.

In the early hours of May 17, Bulivocea poured premix from a 20-litre container over Tukini and Mereamo while they were at home and ignited it with a lighter.

The couple suffered serious burns and required lengthy hospitalisation.

Their house was also set alight.

‘Very high’ culpability

Justice Burney found Bulivocea’s culpability to be very high, stating that while intoxicated, he followed through on his threat to set fire to the complainants’ house.

He stated that Bulivocea intentionally doused Tukini with a highly flammable liquid and deliberately set fire to him, resulting in serious and enduring harm.

Although he did not deliberately set Mereamo alight, Justice Burney said Bulivocea must have foreseen the substantial risk that she would be seriously injured by his extremely reckless behaviour in igniting a naked flame in the presence of premix.

While the damage to their home was relatively minor, Justice Burney said the potential harm included the loss of their daughter’s life.

He stated that, in the experience of the courts, there were a troubling number of people in society who were similarly minded, endangering the lives of others by setting fire to occupied residential premises with alarming alacrity.

Justice Burney sentenced Bulivocea to 12 years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of seven years and nine months.