Parramatta, Australia – A former Fijian army serviceman, Ratu Meli Bainimarama, was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 months imprisonment after he admitted to assaulting his wife and damaging her property during a domestic dispute on December 3, 2023. The court was shown evidence of the extensive injuries inflicted on his wife, which included bruising and red marks on her neck, back, chest, arms, and leg.
Magistrate Timothy Khoo presided over the case at Parramatta Local Court, where Bainimarama faced charges for destroying property and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Prosecutors had dropped a third charge of choking without consent after Bainimarama’s guilty plea.
During the trial, it was revealed that the incident occurred against the backdrop of a deteriorating marriage. The couple, who were married but slept in separate bedrooms, had an altercation after the victim accused Bainimarama of infidelity. The confrontation escalated when Bainimarama pushed his wife off the bed, grabbed her by the hair, and choked her.
The magistrate highlighted the severity of the assault, pointing out Bainimarama’s military background and physical advantage over the victim. “The offender is significantly stronger than her and has 12 years of military training,” Khoo noted, emphasizing the imbalance of power.
In response to claims of acting in self-defense due to provocation, Khoo rejected these assertions, underscoring the unacceptability of domestic violence in society. “A message must be sent to the offender and the wider community that domestic violence offences such as these are abhorrent,” he stated.
Despite completing a domestic-violence course while in custody, Khoo remarked on the lack of remorse shown by Bainimarama for his actions. The defense had attempted to present issues of mental health, including PTSD, as mitigating factors, yet the magistrate found no substantial evidence supporting these claims.
Additionally, the court issued a two-year apprehended violence order against Bainimarama, prohibiting any contact with the victim, including assaulting, threatening, or residing in the same house.
Supporters of the victim and onlookers filled the public gallery of the courtroom, watching as the proceedings unfolded. Bainimarama, who appeared behind a glass barrier and donned a grey hoodie, has been in custody since December and is expected to be released from Silverwater prison soon after accounting for time served.
The incident adds another chapter to the troubled narrative of the Bainimarama family. Ratu Meli Bainimarama is the son of Frank Bainimarama, a former military chief and Fijian Prime Minister, who seized power in a coup in 2006 and subsequently won elections in 2014 and 2018. In a separate case earlier this year, Frank Bainimarama was sentenced to a year in jail for perverting the course of justice.
The court proceedings concluded amidst a tense atmosphere, reflecting the ongoing legal and societal challenges associated with addressing domestic violence.