Fiji Red Cross director, partner killed

7.00 pm - Update

SUVA - Police in Fiji have confirmed that Red Cross Fiji Director John Scott was one of two men found dead at Scott's Suva home today.

Police Commissioner Isikia Savua said the body of 53-year-old Scott was found along with that of his partner, 39-year-old Gregory Scrivener.

Scott's live-in house boy is believed to have discovered the bodies in a bedroom around 6.30am. They had wounds to their heads and bodies.

Police believe the killings may have occurred between 6am and 7am (Fiji time).

Scott, born in Fiji, played a key role last year when coup plotters led by George Speight seized parliament in May and took Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and his government hostage for 56 days.

For the first several days, Scott was the only outsider allowed to see the hostages and he set up a system for mail and food parcels to move between the hostages and their families.

It was Scott who made the arrangements when Chaudhry and the bulk of the hostages were released in July, taking two trucks up to the parliament for the handover.

Police said a forensics team was at the scene of the killings.

They confirmed a cane knife had been found but it was not thought to be linked to the deaths.

- AGENCIES, FIJI VILLAGE NEWS


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