Talifilemu Logotaeao charged in assault case

A 61-year-old man is held on bail of $50,000 over claims he assaulted his sister and her husband.

Talifilemu Logotaeao appeared in the District Court this week on six criminal charges including two counts of assault in the first degree, two charges of assault second degree and another two counts of third-degree assault.

This is in relation to an incident that occurred in Malaeloa last year September.

According to the government's case, Talifilemu got into an argument with his sister which led him to strike his sister and her husband with a shovel. Its also alleged that he strangled his brother-in-law.

The complainant told Police the defendant had threatened to kill her and her husband on previous occasions and it's got to the point where they felt unsafe living close to her brother.

Police say the defendant was warned of his Constitutional rights in the Samoan language which he understood but refused to make a statement.

Court filings say the sister sustained injuries and her husband who was struck twice with a shovel on the face, had to be taken overseas for medical treatment due to the severity of his injuries.