A 26-year-old man from Sa’asa’ai has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for the manslaughter of a co-worker in 2016 at Salelologa Savai’i.

The Court heard he tried to conceal the man’s death. 

Nisani Euini, of Sa’asa’ai, had pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter for the death of a 42-year-old male of Fagamalo, Sagogo, in November 2016. 

According to the case summary of facts, Euini together with his co-defendants were drinking alcohol with the deceased in a property at Salelologa. 

The men later got into a dispute and as a result, the deceased was beaten up by Euini and his co-defendants. 

The men then tried to conceal the death of the deceased by carrying him under the talie tree and leaving him there for the night. 

It wasn’t until another co-worker of the men found the deceased under the talie tree the morning after and reported the matter to the Police. 

The Court heard that following a post mortem, the cause of death was acute subdural haemorrhage, the result of blunt force trauma to the head of the deceased. 

In sentencing Euini, Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke told the defendant the charge he is facing is a serious one that carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment. 

Justice Leiataualesa said the relatives of the deceased lost a loved family member because of his actions. 

“In your foolishness, you attempted to hide the assault from your employer to hide the assault against him rather than to seek medical attention for him,” he said.

“When you then found out the next morning that Sagogo was dead, you told your co-defendants not to say anything and then prepared and left for work as if nothing had happened.

“You left the deceased there under the talie tree dead, when found, naked with his pants down to his knees.” 

Justice Leiataualesa added that while Euini had no intention to kill the deceased, his actions were coldhearted for leaving his lifeless body under the tree, and pretending nothing had happened. 

The Judge took nine years as a starting point for the sentence and deducted four years and nine months for prior good character, penalty paid to the village and early guilty plea. 

Euini was then convicted and sentenced to five years and 3 months imprisonment.