An escaped convict, ‘Amoni Fifita (34), was sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the Tonga Supreme Court for the armed robbery of a store in Kolovai last year 2017. Getaway driver and father of 16 children, Pakileata Fukofuka (48), was sentenced to 3½ years with 18 months suspension (2 years imprisonment) for abetting the robbery.

In January last year, ‘Amoni Fifita and fellow escaped convict Viliami Kupu, entered a Chinese store in Kolovai and threatened the store owner with machetes. They left the store with stolen money and items worth $7,671.50 pa’anga. A co-conspirator Pakileata Fukofuka, participated in the robbery as a getaway driver.

Viliami Kupu was sentenced to four years imprisonment in August last year after entering a guilty plea.

Mr Justice Cato gave leniency to Pakieleata, providing 18 months discount from an original prison sentence of five years.

Justice Cato ruled “In relation to Mr Fukofuka, he falls into a different category. He has only one conviction of any consequence and that relates to obtaining money by false pretences for which he received three months imprisonment in 2015...”

“His probation report indicates that he had a limited education assisting his father with fishing to maintain a large family of ten. He married in 1991 then migrated to America. He had seven children when married in Salt Lake City. He is Mormon. He has also about nine illegitimate children, who all reside in America. He returned to Tonga in 2001 to look after his father who has recently died.”

“He has little in the way of criminal record and is aged 48. He seemed as the probation report indicated to be committed to assist others in his Mormon church by providing fish when able to do so…I consider that he is capable of rehabilitation and should be given a chance to do so.”

Judge Cato refused to suspend any sentence for ‘Amoni Fifita – who is a serial offender.

Judge Cato stated “In the case of Mr Fifita his probabtion report contains nothing that can be said to be positive about him. He is aged 34 and commenced his career in crime in about 2001 serving sentence of imprisonment…”

“He travelled to New Zealand in 2003 but was deported from New Zealand in 2011 for serious offending, including aggravated burglary with a weapon for which he was imprisoned for five yearas and six months…”

"…I consider there is no basis to suspend any part of his sentence. I do not see him as a person who is at all likely to be rehabilitated…”