13 Jun 2006

Murder trial of five Samoan men opens today

8:56 am on 13 June 2006

The murder trial of five Samoan men begins in the country's Supreme Court today.

The trial follows an incident last year when a man from the village of Satapuala was shot dead.

Three children received gun shot wounds during the incident, two family homes were burnt, a school's windows were smashed and several other village people assaulted.

The accused also face other charges including attempted murder and arson