Three defence witnesses in the rape trial of 31-year-old Ilaitia Nalawa have disputed what they had earlier said in their police statements.
Nalawa is charged with the rape of a 9-year-old girl in Nakasi on July 7th last year.
The first defence witness to take the stand today was Apenisa Vuni-ivi.
He said that Nalawa was with them when they went to the shop to buy biscuits and when they returned home on the 7th of July last year.
The prosecution then read out Vuni-ivi’s statement where he said that Nalawa was not with them on that day.
This police statement was taken on the 9th of July last year.
Vuni-ivi said in court today that he was forced by police to say those things.
He also claims that he was assaulted by two police officers at the Nakasi Police Station.
Vuni-ivi says the two punched his ribs and banged his head on the table.
He says he went to file a complaint with Nausori Police however they told him to go back to the Nakasi Police Station.
Vuni-ivi claims that Nakasi Police said the issue will be resolved through a traditional ceremony on the same afternoon.
High Court Judge Justice Salesi Temo then said that it is a concern that there are elements of inconsistency in Vuni-ivi’s statement.
The second defence witness, Livai Navudi also said in court today that Ilaitia Nalawa was with them on July 7th last year.
Navudi says they went to the shop and returned home together.
He says when they reached home, Nalawa went to make their tea.
The prosecution said Navudi’s police statement from July 9th last year states that on their way back home, he gave Nalawa his phone so that Nalawa could call his girlfriend.
His police statement says that while Nalawa was on the phone, he started to disappear slowly at the back where Navudi could not see him.
Navudi told the prosecution in court today that he was forced by the police to say this.
He claims that he was told to hang on the window at Nakasi Police Station and an officer started kicking his back.
The third defence witness was Mataiasi Ligadivia.
He is the owner of the house in Nakasi where Nalawa was staying.
Ligadivia says he had sent Nalawa and other boys to buy biscuits from the shop.
He also says that Nalawa returned home with the boys.
The prosecution then pointed out that Ligadivia had said in the police statement that Nalawa did not return home with the boys.
Ligadivia said that he had signed the statement but half of it was not true.
He claims that it was fabricated by police.
Ligadivia said that he also filed a complaint with Nausori Police on July 27th last year saying that the statement was fabricated.
He says there has been no official response from police.
Justice Temo will sum up the case at 2.15pm tomorrow before the assessors retire behind closed doors to deliberate on their opinion.
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