By Linny Folau
An arsonist, Taniela Matangi (38) will serve seven years imprisonment, for serious housebreaking and stealing tapa and mats from a church minister's home in Longolongo. Three others were jailed for receiving the stolen property.
The charges included serious arson after he set fire to a bedroom at the home he stole from twice in Longolongo.
Lord Chief Justice Bishop sentenced Taniela Matangi with Shalina Kumar, Ma’ata Ngaue and ‘Ana Fifita earlier this month at the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa.
In March, Taniela was arraigned and pleaded guilty to serious housebreaking, and theft which he first committed on his own at the residence in Longolongo. Then in May with the four other defendants he pleaded guilty to various charges committed at the same residence.
Matangi was charged with additional serious housebreaking, theft, serious arson. While, Kumar, Fifita and Ngaue pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property each.
Background
The court heard that in the first case, the accused (on his own) on a Sunday in September last year, when the complainant left to attend church, broke into her home in Longolongo and stole items to the total value of TOP$18,765, USD$4150 and NZD$8,120.
Lord Chief Justice Bishop stated that he was apprehended after a child living near the complainant's residence gave his description to Police, reporting that he had left in a neighbour's vehicle. He was then dropped off to a residence in Popua.
“The description led Police quickly to him as he is a notorious offender. To his credit, on his arrest he disclosed the location of the stolen items, which he had hidden. Then in the second case all defendants committed the offences at the same residence.
“Then on a Sunday again in February 2025, Taniela entered the residence where he stole items to the total value of $40,600 whilst Shalina and 'Ana remained in the vehicle. All the items were cultural tapa and mats of high monetary and cultural value. Taniela then set a fire in one of bedrooms, exited the house and once the items were loaded into the vehicle, told Shalina and Ana to leave, and they left to Kolomotu'a.
The judge said the accused then then made various attempts at trying to sell some of the stolen items and wa sunsuccessful until he sold two white mats to the fourth defendant, Ma'ata. “Each of them admitted to your involvement to Police, except with Ma'ata who stated he would only speak in Court.”
All have previous convictions.
The Lord Chief Justice stated that in Taniela’s case, he took the serious arson count as the most serious offence and made it the head count.
He added that the serious housebreaking count was a very serious matter because the accused must have known that the occupant, the wife of a Minister at the Free Wesleyan Church would not be at home, but at church at the time he broke into the house.
These matters were serious because both offences were very close together in time and the accused was on bail at the time that he committed these offences, he stated.
Moreover, the Lord Chief Justice agreed with the Prosecution that the accused had displayed a complete disregard for the law, he has a propensity to reoffend and only a modest prospect of rehabilitation.
Having regard to the totality principle, the judge decided that a total sentence in his case should be one of eight years imprisonment, that means that in relation to the sentences of six and a half years, he must serve a further 18 months from his first offending in CR34/2024.
This means the defendant will serve a total period of eight years imprisonment with the last 12 months suspended for two years on conditions, he stated.
Shalina Kumar was sentenced to three years imprisonment with the last six months suspended for a period of two years on conditions by the Lord Chief Justice.
‘Ana Fifita was similarly sentenced to three years imprisonment with the last six months suspended for two years, on conditions. This means they are both are serving two years and six months in prison.
Ma'ata who has a large number of previous convictions was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment with the last four months suspended for two years, on conditions. She is serving 12 months in prison.
