Assistant DPP Lee Burney raised serious concern in the Josua Colanaudolu rape and murder trial today after he said that Colanaudolu was mocking the second prosecution witness who is one of the alleged rape victims.
39-year-old security officer Josua Colanaudolu is facing one count of murder, 6 counts of rape, 4 counts of abduction and one count of indecently annoying a female.
The charges include the case where Colanaudolu allegedly abducted, raped and murdered a 14-year-old girl in Deuba last year.
The second day of the trial started today with a mother of six taking the stand.
The 33-year-old woman said that she knew Colanaudolu since childhood and he is the father of her first child.
She says she was 16 when her eldest child was born.
The woman said that she got pregnant after Colanaudolu raped her.
She said that the first incident occurred in April 1998 when she was 14 years old.
The woman said that she used to be sent to the shop by her parents and Colanaudolu usually followed her.
She said that when she returned from the shop on one occasion, Colanaudolu was waiting for her near a flower garden.
The prosecution witness said that Colanaudolu then pulled her hand, told her not to say a word and to follow him.
She said that Colanaudolu put his hand on her mouth and forcefully took her to his house.
The woman also told the court that he told her that he would do something bad to her if she resisted. She said that she was taken without her consent.
The mother of six said that Colanaudolu raped her on about eight occasions and she never gave her consent.
She said that Colanaudolu had told her that he will kill her if she told anyone about the incident.
The woman said that she did not tell her parents because she was scared of Colanaudolu.
When questioned by Lee Burney, the woman said that she did not tell Police at the time as she was scared of Colanaudolu.
The woman said that she decided to tell her story after the rape and murder of the 14-year-old girl in Deuba last year.
The young girl was her niece.
In her cross examination by defence lawyer Lavinia David, she was asked on why she did not resist and try to punch him when she was being taken to Colanaudolu’s house.
The woman said that she couldn’t as she was scared of him.
David then put to the woman that Colanaudolu never took her from the flower garden to his house.
The woman said that Colanaudolu did that and he knew everything that he did to her.
She said that he would forcefully take her to his house and have sexual intercourse with her without her permission.
David then questioned her how did this happen when her parents were at home.
She said that her mother is sickly and her father often goes out for work.
David repeatedly asked her why she did not inform her parents about the incident as she was 14 and was under the care of her parents.
Justice Salesi Temo also asked her why she did not tell her parents that Colaaudolu raped her.
The woman said that she was young at that time and she was scared but now she is matured.
She then said in the iTaukei language that Colanaudolu was laughing at what she was saying in court and he knows very well what he did.
Burney stood up and told the judge that he is seriously concerned that the accused was mocking the witness.
Justice Temo said that the whole court is in show and if it is happening, it will go in the prosecution’s favour.
He also said that he has recorded this and it is good that it is happening and it shows the true colour and demeanor of the accused when the battle is happening in the court room.
The trial continues.
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