Husband Henry John taken to hospital under police guard after woman found dead at Suva home

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

An Australian woman working for the UN has allegedly been murdered in Fiji.

Police in the capital, Suva, said they were treating the death of Jennifer Downes as suspicious.

Her husband, Henry Lusaka John, was seriously injured in an incident and is under police guard at the Colonial War Memorial hospital.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Guardian Australia it is providing consular assistance to the family of a woman who died in Fiji.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we will not provide further comment,” a spokesman said.

A hospital intensive care department spokeswoman told the Guardian an ambulance had brought John into the emergency department on Tuesday. She said she could give no details on his condition.

John is also an Australian citizen.

A deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary general, Farhan Haq, said they were aware of the “tragic death” of a staff member.

“The UN closely collaborates with national law enforcement authorities in Fiji in following up on this case.”

