Teenagers admit crimes against U-16 AFL visitors [1]
Monday, March 7, 2011 - 21:47. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Three teenagers who admitted crimes that included theft of cash and goods worth over $160,000 pa'anga from members of the U-16 Oceania Australian Football League team in December last year, are to be sentenced on April 8, 2011 at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa.
Teenagers Maamaloa Fangupo and 'Aisake Mausia pleaded guilty to two charges each of housebreaking and theft, before Justice Robert Shuster on Friday, March 4, while a co-accused Tu'ahiva Vaka pleaded guilty to the abetment and theft of the goods.
The court was told that on December 14, 2010 at Ha'ateiho the accused broke into a house at 'Atele and stole over $3,000 cash and goods belonging to AFL teams that ranged from a laptop, cameras, mobile phones, jewellery, clothes and souvenirs.
It is understood that only some of the stolen property was recovered.
Justice Shuster stressed to the court that housebreaking and theft is becoming an epidemic in Tonga and it needs to be stopped. He adjourned the case of the teenagers to be sentenced on April 8.
The crime was committed while the AFL U-16 Oceania Championships was held at 'Atele from December 13-20, 2010 featuring eight teams from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Nauru, Solomon Islands and New Zealand.