Murder accused to challenge statement

Murder accused Robert Bradley Dawson will challenge the admissibility of the caution interview statement, the High Court in Lautoka was told yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of the American national, lawyer Iqbal Khan claimed his client’s constitutional rights were breached.

He requested the statements of all investigating officers involved in the arrest of Mr Dawson on July 10, a day after the alleged killing of his wife in a resort in the Western Division.

Mr Khan also filed an application for a voire dire hearing before Justice Riyaz Hamza.

The accused was denied bail last week after judge Hamza concluded he faced a serious criminal charge and was likely to not appear in court if granted bail.

Judge Hamza also noted that the accused had no family or financial interest in Fiji and the court was conscious of the fact that he had family and employment ties in the USA.

The State has also objected to the two sureties provided by the defence as there was no detailed information provided as to how they knew the accused who had only arrived in Fiji on July 7 this year.

In court yesterday, State prosecutor Alvin Singh confirmed filing additional disclosures of post-mortem examination results.

Mr Dawson, an information technology and systems administrator in the US, has denied the charge against him.

It is alleged he murdered his wife, Christe Chan, in a local luxury resort on July 9, three days after they arrived for their honeymoon.

The matter is expected to be called again on October 19.