Two men accused of housebreaking after they entered a woman’s home posing as police officers were found guilty on March 19, and will be sentenced on April 17, at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court.

Mr. Justice Cato convicted ‘Aleki Palanite (32) of Sopu and Michell Tukia (41) of Nualei on charges of conducting activity that was not authorized by Tonga Police and housebreaking.

The judge said this was a very serious matter and he believed beyond reasonable doubt the evidence given by the complainant Mele Strahan (66) during the trial this week.

The court was told that on February 16, 2013 at 3:00pm the two men entered the home under the false pretense they were police officers who were searching for cannabis.

The victim who lived with her brother said the men turned up in plain clothes in a taxi claiming they were police officers, with Tukia posing from the NZ Police and Palanite posing as a Tongan officer. She said they told her they had received photographs alleging cannabis was being grown at her property and they were there to search her home. Palanite then conducted the search inside the house while Tukia waited at the verandah before they left. She said by then she was scared and called the police who arrived at her home shortly afterward, the court was told.

The Crown represented by Joan Puloka called three witnesses while the two accused who gave evidence in oath represented themselves in court.

This is the first prosecution under the Tonga Police Act 2010.