Suspended police officer

The accused is jointly charged with Ulugia Lomalasi Laufili, another man from the village of Vaiusu, where the 20 year-old deceased also lived.

A former Attorney General currently working in a private law firm, Taulapapa Brenda Heather Latū, is prosecuting the police case.

It comes after the Attorney-General's Office declared a conflict of interest because the suspended sergeant had worked with state lawyers in the prosecution division.

According to court documents all the charges against Hillary Eteuati were dismissed in a separate hearing in 2016 and in a Supreme Court appeal hearing last year.

But the lawyer for the accused had fought a long legal battle against the prosecution over why the police had wanted to refile the charges.

Mr Eteuati was originally charged with assault, obstruction, threatening words and armed with a dangerous weapon.