Three people involved in an assault on the Kings Road highway that ended tragically for a 50-year-old man who was travelling with his son have been sentenced to imprisonment.
Initially charged with manslaughter, Mosese Luma, 35, Uraia Nataliga, also 35 and Alivereti Nauca, 30, were found guilty of Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm.
Luma was sentenced to nine months, Nataliga received 12 months, and Nauca, nine months in prison.
The incident, which occurred on a highway near Nakorokula, involved a confrontation between the offenders and the deceased, Savenaca Nakuta, who was driving with his son. After narrowly avoiding hitting one of the offenders who stumbled onto the road drunk, Nakuta was assaulted by the group in front of his son.
Despite efforts to avoid further conflict, Nakuta later succumbed to injuries sustained during the assault, although his death was attributed to underlying heart disease.
Luma, married with two children, had no prior convictions and spent four months in remand. Nataliga, a single father with previous convictions, initiated the fight and faces additional charges while on bail. Nauca, a married barber with no prior convictions, also spent four months in remand.