Two stepbrothers who made a “brutal and ruthless” attack on a market gardener at Longolongo last year, were each sentenced to seven-years nine-months imprisonment.

Tou Ngaue and Misima Tupou, aged in their 20s, were sentenced on 30 October after they were convicted of robbery, serious bodily harm and simple arson for attacking a Chinese man last year

They denied all of the charges during their trial at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court in September.

Mr Justice Cato said during the robbery on November 21, 2014 at Tu’atakilangi in Longolongo the complainant Feng Sheng Pei was badly beaten-up suffering injuries, including a fracture of his right clavicle, fracture and displaced nasal bone, fracture of a wall of his left eye and orbit and some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The victim who gave his evidence in Chinese and translated in court said he lived in Fasi and grew vegetables in Longolongo.

He was at his vehicle in his plantation around 6:00am when all of sudden someone came and took his money and cigarettes. He said that was all he could remember, that he had his keys in his pocket and this person tried to force the key from him and he was assaulted.

The court heard that the victim who was hit from behind could not recall anything until he woke up at the hospital.

Burned vehicle

Justice Cato said the two men had driven the victim in his vehicle to Veitongo where they left him in a bush allotment. They then drove to Folaha set the vehicle on fire and called a third party to pick them up and drop them at Kolomotu’a.

The aggravating features of this robbery were that it involved a combined assault on a slightly built Chinese man working alone tending his market garden. Fortunately, after he was abandoned he made his way to the road and was assisted to the hospital spending seven-days before being discharged, Mr Justice Cato said.

“The actions of these two prisoners were in my view pre-mediated, callous, brutal and ruthless with no apparent consideration for the welfare of the victim and his property.”

He said offending of this kind required a strong deterrent message, not only to the accused but also to other would-be robbers.

"It also, in my view must reflect the need to protect the public from this kind of offending."

Both men had previous convictions.