Kunawave’s wife tells the court that he assaulted her twice on the day he allegedly murdered their child

The wife of former soldier, Tevita Kunawave who allegedly killed his 4 months old baby has told the court that he had smashed the windows to enter the house and assaulted her after she cracked a phone he brought home that did not belong to him and had pictures of two women on it.

Kunawave is charged with a count of murder for allegedly killing his baby in October last year by throwing a concrete block through the window that hit the baby’s forehead.

The murder trial began this morning.

Mereseini Rauluni has told the court that Kunawave was out the previous night and returned at about 11am on the day of the incident and gave her a phone who he said belonged to a woman. Rauluni said Kunawave said to her that he was drinking alcohol with that woman at Ocean View Motel.

She said Kunawave then went out on the porch to continue drinking alcohol with his friends.

Rauluni told the court she did not believe him and was upset. She said she had deliberately cracked the phone and also locked the door as she was afraid he was going to come into the house and assault her.

She said Kunawave reacted by getting angry and swearing at her and had then pulled back the mesh on the window while continuing to yell at her.

While in tears, Rauluni said that he broke the windows and assaulted her and then dragged her by the hair into their bedroom and assaulted her once again with a wide, green belt and then went back outside through the back door.

She said he went back to the front porch to continue drinking with his friend who had done nothing to stop Kunawave.

Rauluni also told the court she threw out her husband’s clothes through the broken window after which Kunawave once again entered the house and assaulted her again and left to continue drinking alcohol on the porch with his friend.

The woman said that at about 5pm, Kunawave called her several times to open the door as she had locked it because she did not want him inside the house.

Rauluni said that she was able to see her husband through the curtains pick up a concrete block that was on the porch, pull the mesh on the broken window with one hand and throw the block inside.

She said everything happened so fast and she found out her child was hurt when her sister started shouting that the block had hit the baby.

She also told the court that she had then picked up her child and with a neighbour’s assistance took him to the military hospital and later identified the baby’s body at the hospital mortuary.

The mother also identified the concrete block in court that allegedly hit the child.

The trial continues before High Court Judge, Justice Daniel Goundar.