21-year jail term for Tuwai in ‘coercive control’ murder

Jeremaia Tuwai has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of his partner, Nunia Kurualeba, in a case the court described as “the ultimate form of coercive control”.

Tuwai admitted to dragging Ms Kurualeba from the street by her shirt and up the stairs of their Western Sydney unit before killing her with a knife he had hidden under a pillow in their bedroom on July 8, 2024.

Delivering his sentence in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Stephen Campbell said the killing was driven by jealousy and control.

“The motive for the murder was sexual jealousy and anger,” Justice Campbell said.

“Anger because Ms Kurualeba dared to exercise her right to end their abusive relationship and perhaps to form a new one.

“This is the ultimate form of coercive controlling behaviour … this is an offence of murder committed by a man against his domestic partner motivated by anger, jealousy and control which elevates the objective seriousness of the offending.”

The court heard there had been a pattern of coercive control and violence leading up to the murder, including physical assaults and monitoring of Ms Kurualeba’s phone and social media.

In happier times ... Jeremaia Tuwai and partner Nunia Kurualeba.

Supplied.

Tuwai had also threatened her, telling her to “start saying goodbye to your family” the day before the killing and warning on another occasion: “one day, I will kill you.”

Ms Kurualeba, 21, had been trying to collect her belongings from the unit in Sydney’s west so she could return to Fiji when she was attacked.

Justice Campbell said Tuwai feared she would pursue “his romantic rival” and was unwilling “to allow Ms Kurualeba to live her own life without him”.

“It could not have been lost upon him that Ms Kurualeba was done with their relationship and did not wish to see him again,” he said.

The court heard Ms Kurualeba was chased, dragged back into the unit and attacked, suffering fatal stab wounds.

“There is no doubt that Ms Kurualeba knew what was happening and would have been very frightened,” Justice Campbell said.

“She would have been aware that life was slipping from her.”

Justice Campbell also commended the bravery of Ms Kurualeba’s cousin, Adivika Tinai, who intervened and struggled with Tuwai in an attempt to save her.

“Where many would have baulked or at least hesitated before putting themselves in harm’s way, she did neither … her bravery deserves everybody’s admiration and thanks,” he said.

Tuwai, now 23, apologised to the family in a letter to the court, with Justice Campbell finding he was remorseful.

He will be eligible for parole in April 2040 after serving a non-parole period of 15 years and nine months.