A Supreme Court jury trial has begun against 46-year-old Sisituutuumata Fulivai. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged sexual assault and may distress some readers.
Police officers were patrolling Canberra on a winter’s night two years ago when a naked woman suddenly appeared running barefoot down the street, screaming for help and covered in bruises.
She claimed she had been held captive for two days while a man, Sisituutuumata Fulivai, raped and repeatedly assaulted her before she was able to fight her way out of his Lyneham home.
About 18 months later, 46-year-old Mr Fulivai pleaded not guilty to 20 charges when his trial began before a jury in the ACT Supreme Court on Monday (16 February).
Prosecutor Marina Lucero, in her opening submissions, said the woman, who was aged in her mid-20s, met Mr Fulivai through a mutual friend a few days before the alleged abuse began in June 2024.
She said he was introduced to her as ‘Matt’ or ‘Matty’ when the woman and her friends went over to his house where they had drinks and used drugs. The woman stayed the night after her friends left and they had consensual sex.
The woman, who could be seen with visible bruises to her face when she was filmed speaking to police a day after her alleged escape, said she was at his home when his friend came over and he became jealous, accusing her of wanting to have sex with his friend.
She said she tried to leave, but was scared and he convinced her to stay.
She claimed that another of his friends had come over, and that when he left, Mr Fulivai accused her of wanting to run off with this friend.
“Every time I tried to answer, it would end up with me getting hit with something,” she alleged.
“The hits ended up turning into beatings.
“They would get more violent, where I would be hit with objects like drawers, metal poles and the crutches you get at hospital.”
Ms Lucero alleged Mr Fulivai wouldn’t let the woman leave for two days and two nights. In this time, he was accused of repeatedly assaulting her, including punching or slapping her in the head, hitting her head into a toilet and striking her with a crutch.
He allegedly ordered her to take off her clothes and threatened to kill her, her mother and her sisters.
Mr Fulivai is also accused of twice choking the woman until she passed out. After the second time, she allegedly woke up to him having sex with her.
It is alleged he punched her unconscious when she started screaming.
Ms Lucero claimed the woman begged to be let go more than 100 times before she eventually managed to fight her way out onto the street.
While being interviewed by police, the woman said she spotted and grabbed a small screwdriver when Mr Fulivai allegedly left her in the bedroom for a moment.
“[When he returned,] I saw an opportunity, and I tried to stab him in the head with the screwdriver,” she said.
“I’m not sure if I got him or not, but that ended up with me being beat again.”
But during this alleged beating, she found a knife on top of the bed.
“I managed to get on top of the bed and stood up and charged at him with the knife,” she said.
She claimed they got into another struggle, which led to her entering the hallway.
“I managed to make it to the front door, where I opened it and ran out, naked,” she said.
She said that as she ran out, she saw a police car coming down the street, so she ran straight towards it and jumped inside.
During her interview, she was asked why she wanted to speak to police.
“I want to make sure I’m able to charge the person and make sure he can’t do it to anyone else,” she said.
Mr Fulivai’s charges include 11 counts of assault, four counts of choking, three counts of making a threat to kill, as well as single counts of sexual intercourse without consent and unlawful confinement.
The trial continues before Justice Belinda Baker.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.
If you have been affected by sexual violence, or someone you know has, you can report it to police by attending a police station or phoning 131 444.
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