Josevata Werelali Koroi
Murder as a remedy is no answer.
These were the words of High Court Judge Justice Salesi Temo while handing a mandatory life sentence to a 33-year-old village headman who murdered his wife in Vunidawa Naitasiri last year.
Josevata Werelali Koroi was convicted of one count of murder.
The court heard that the father of two murdered his wife, Adi Elenani Waidrau in May last year following a marital dispute.
Koroi knew since 2017 that his wife was having an affair and tried to resolve it by asking her to stop, however, she persisted, and on Koroi decided to end her life by stabbing her.
The High court Judge says that Koroi did not seek a resolution to his marital problem in the family court and instead, the answer for him was murder.
Justice Temo says this problem is not unfamiliar in Fiji and people must learn to resolve issues peacefully either through counseling or divorce proceedings.
Koroi will have to serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars before a pardon may be considered by the President.