Fijian national appears in Wellington court

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
August 18, 2015

http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/32186/fijian-national-appears-in-wellington-court

A court in Wellington, New Zealand has heard that a pastor at a Fijian fellowship church indecently touched two girls and tried to get one to have sex with him.

Forty-two year old, Jone Conikeli, from Stokes Valley, was a pastor at the Kingdom Ambassador International Fellowship church’s Wellington chapter.

The Dominion Post reports he pleaded not guilty in Wellington District Court yesterday to two charges of assault with intent to commit sexual violation, two of doing an indecent act on a person under 16, and three of doing an indecent act on a child.

Crown prosecutor Ian Murray said Conikeli exploited opportunities to sexually abuse two girls he knew through family and friends.

Conikeli’s lawyer, Chris Nicholls, said the two girls had colluded to make up the allegations as retribution over a complicated family situation for which Conikeli had been blamed.

The trial is expected to take four days.