Lafitani Mahe was convicted of serious housebreaking and theft of properties worth around $34,000 mostly Tongan valuables at a home in Houmakelikao in 2019.

He was found guilty by Hon Mr Justice Niu on July 8, and will be sentenced on August 26 at the Supreme Court.

The stolen items included Tongan mats, tapa, a bluetooth speaker, iphone, ipad and $500 pa'anga cash.

The Court heard from the Crown witneses, including police officers that the accused's fingerprint was found on a louver blade at the complainant’s house.

In addition, another witness said that it was the accused who offered the speaker to him for $50, which he bought. The complainant also confirmed to Police that the speaker was her property.

This resulted in the accused's arrest for this offence.

The accused who represented himself argued that the three police witnesses who worked on the fingerprinting evidence in the trial, did not have proper qualifications. Therefore the Crown's evidence was not 100%, and has failed to prove that he had committed the two offences with which he was charged with, he claimed

The Crown submitted the police officer had a certificate issued at a training course, hence was qualified with the proper knowledge to conduct fingerprinting.

The judge said it was not the law that the Crown must prove its case against any accused 100%. 

"That is because a 100% proof of a case is proof beyond any doubt. What the law requires is that the Crown must prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. And in the present case, I have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the three officers had performed their work correctly before I can convict the accused."

The judge said the only way that that thumb print of the accused came to be on that blade was because he touched that blade, and that he touched it to remove it from the window in the process of breaking into the house for the purpose of stealing of properties inside the house. 

He then convicted the accused on the two charges.