Receiver of stolen Tongan valuables convicted [1]
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 - 21:13
Tevita Valikoula was found guilty today at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court for receiving stolen properties, namely Tongan (koloa) mats and tapa valued at $19,400 pa'anga.
Hon. Mr Justice Niu in his verdict was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was guilty of the offence. This was after a trial in June this year.
The Crown submitted the offence was in May 2019, at Matangiake when the accused received from Sione Mafi Lolohea these properties, believed to have been stolen.
Lolohea, a prolific thief was sentenced in June to seven-years six-months imprisonment for serious housebreaking and theft, when he stole these goods from the house of Senior Prison Warden Pesalili Kailahi in Ha'ateiho.
The judge said the accused in this case knew that Lolohea had stolen these properties because he had dropped him off at Ha'ateiho to steal them. He picked Lolohea up again with the stolen properties in the boot of his car, he said.
Witness
The Court heard this, from a witness Sione Tonata Tupou who made an agreement with the Crown to give evidence against the accused, so that he would not be prosecuted in connection with the evidence.
He said that he used to live at the accused's tax allotment at Matangiake.
One day in 2019, Lolohea brought out a bundle wrapped in a sheet from the boot of the accused car and opened it up in the tent.
It was a bundle of Tongan mats and ta'ovala (Tongan koloa).
The witness remembered that the name Kailahi was written on one of the ta'ovala (mats).
His evidence was not challenged by the accused, who represented himself in the trial, because he did not wish to ask the witness any questions.
At the same time, a police witness said on May 23, 2019 they received a complaint and as a result obtained a search warrant to search both the town allotment and tax allotment of the accused at Matangiake.
He said there were two search parties, one searching the town allotment and the other one searching the tax allotment, at the same time. He was in the party searching the tax allotment.
They found Lolohea and the accused's son and his partner at the tax allotment, where the Tongan goods were in the tent there in plastic bags, while one mat was spread under a manioke (tapioca) plant.
The judge in convicting the accused detained him in Police custody for sentencing on a later date.