DPP to appeal High Court's decision to acquit Nasetava of murder charge and instead find him guilty of manslaughter

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will file an appeal against the decision of the High Court to acquit Luke Nasetava of the murder of his wife and instead find him guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Pryde says the court found that Nasetava stabbed his wife multiple times on her back, head and other parts of her body at her workplace on 31st August 2019 and which led to her death.

He says the court acquitted the accused of murder and instead convicted him of manslaughter on the grounds that his wife had provoked him to kill her as a result of her alleged marital infidelity.

Pryde says it is their view that marital infidelity cannot be used to constitute a wrongful act.

He says to allow a man to have a murder charge reduced to manslaughter by claiming that he was provoked into killing his wife by her alleged infidelity is wrong in law and reflects an outdated view of gender roles in modern Fijian society.

Nasetava was sentenced to nine years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 8 years.