Drunk driver, Malolo ‘Inia (31) whose vehicle crashed into a property and killed a woman near her house, at Ma'ufanga on New Year’s Day 2015, was sentenced to three-years imprisonment.

He was convicted in March on three charges including causing the death of ‘Oketi Makaafi (33) while under the influence of alcohol, and two counts of bodily injury while driving under the influence. He had an excessive level of alcohol of 480 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.

On 1 January, at around 2:00pm 'Inia was driving on Bypass Road at Ma’ufanga in a southerly direction when his vehicle went off the road and hit two pedestrians who were on the roadside, before crashing into the deceased who was standing near her house. 

The victim died at Vaiola Hospital from a fractured skull with haemorrhage and celebral oedema. The two pedestrians were not seriously injured but received medical treatment.

Mr Justice Cato in sentencing the prisoner on 9 May, on the charge of causing death while driving under the influence, imposed three-years imprisonment to be backdated to when he was remanded in custody.

He then suspended the final year of his imprisonment under the condition that he commits no further offences punishable by imprisonment during the period of his suspension.

The judge said by way of mitigation that he was a first time offender and of good character, married with three children and had formerly run a successful export business.

"I am satisfied that he is remorseful for what he had done and he has taken steps, as I was told, to apologize to the victim's family and paid for travel arrangements for the funeral and children’s education spending of about $8000. I was also told he suffered losing his business and also the ongoing strain of living with the knowledge that his driving had killed someone," said Mr Justice Cato.

On the other counts of causing bodily harm while driving under the influence of alcohol, sentences of 12-months imprisonment each were imposed to be served concurrently with his other sentence.

The prisoner's license was disqualified for three-years.