John Nikolic’s new life in Fiji jail revealed

Little is known about conditions inside Suva men’s prison where convicted Aussie drug trafficker John Nikolic will spend his days, but those that have been inside paint a picture of hell in paradise.

John Nikolic is unlikely to make many friends in Suva prison.

Renowned for its tropical beauty and friendly people, what is not so well known about Fiji is its growing drug problem and horrifying rape and child sexual assault statistics, with many men passing through the Suva High Court John Nikolic has been sitting in, charged with heinous sex offences.

Many of these men will join father-of-two John Nikolic in prison.

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John Nikolic at the High court in Suva, where he was found guilty of importing drugs including cocaine and possessing a weapon in Fiji. Picture: Gary Ramage

The Suva men's prison where John Nikolic has been held for the duration of his High Court trial in Suva, Fiji. Picture: Gary Ramage

Other men, appearing before the court, have claimed they have been tortured by guards while on remand.

One, clutching his ribs, claimed he had been beaten and refused medical aid for his injuries.

The Nikolics on board drug boat Shenanigans during happier times. Picture: Instagram

A person Nikolic may bond with, however, is Aussie property developer and dad Ethan Kai, who was sentenced in September 2015 to 15 years in Suva prison for smuggling $30 million of heroin from Thailand in quad bike tyres.

Twenty metre concrete walls topped with coils of barbered wire surround the Suva prison. Picture: Gary Ramage

Suva prison houses serious criminals including child sex offenders. Picture: Gary Ramage

Little is known about conditions inside Suva men’s prison and News Corp Australia has to date been unable to gain access following a recent security crackdown.

However, Fijian human rights lawyer Aman Ravindra-Singh has said Fiji men’s prisons are “inhumane”, with overcrowding problems, bed bugs in mattresses, lack of proper sanitation and medical care and food which is “not fit for human consumption”.

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Australian Ethan Kai in Suva men's prison in Fiji, where John Nikolic will serve his time.

Men claim they have been assaulted by prison guards inside the Suva prison. Picture: Gary Ramage

News Corp Australia has also been told the showers, and also possibly the toilets, are open and shared.

As the Nikolics sailed through the Pacific, their yacht laden with cocaine, they boasted on social media of feasting on fresh fish and lobster.

“We caught heaps of fish, bought 4 large lobsters for $30 and traded with the local islanders. We saw a whale shark, whales, dolphins and sting rays along the way. Now this is what we had in mind when we bought a boat!” they posted from Las Perlas Island, off Panama.

Those days must seem like a distant memory now.

One thing is certain, there will be no lobster dinners in Suva prison.

Originally published as John Nikolic’s new life in Fiji jail revealed