A man who brutally stabbed his wife to death at their home in Dreketi village, Taveuni last year has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

39-year-old Josese Bale was sentenced to serve a minimum of 16 years by the Labasa high court this week after he pleaded guilty for murder.

Bale murdered his wife Adi Ema Golea on June 10^th after a heated argument broke out between the two.

The victim had locked herself in a room however, her husband managed to break down the door and used a pig hunting knife to stab her 16 times.

The accused who was intoxicated with alcohol slashed his wife’s face near the eye and stabbed her chest, stomach, and heel – rupturing her lungs.

Their sons aged 12 and 11-years, came home from their neighbor’s place to find their father standing with the knife over their mother covered in a pool of blood.

The children begged their father to stop however, were chased out of the house.

In mitigation, he is said to have acted in the provocation of rumors of an affair his wife was having.

During the sentencing, Judge Justice Paul Madigan said the court isn’t convinced by the plea of great remorse because when the horrific facts were read to Bale, he remained stoic and stony-faced.

Justice Madigan highlighted that the sons are emotionally affected by the actions of their father as they cannot stop thinking about their mother.

The court added that the serving term would have been more if not for the guilty plea and deprivation of his love during his children’s teenage life.

Bale has to serve at least 16 years before he’s eligible to make an application for parole.