Prisoner gets more jail time for cannabis conviction [1]
Monday, May 24, 2021 - 18:42
Viliami Na’a was sentenced to serve one-month imprisonment for possession of 0.99 grams of cannabis.
Hon Mr Justice Niu sentenced him on May 21, after being convicted in a trial on February 8 at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court.
On 19 April 2019 at Hofoa, the accused possessed 0.99gm of cannabis, when he was arrested with three other persons at Pangi Puloka's home at Hofoa. Puloka has also been jailed for drug offences.
The accused had three previous convictions. In 2020 at the Supreme Court he was sentenced to six-years nine-months imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm, and is currently serving that sentence.
Probation said the accused's parents had migrated to the United States when he was young, leaving him in Tonga with relatives. When he was 15 years old he went to the U.S. but did not settle well with his parents.
“You hung out with gangs and did drugs and things they did until 2016 when you caused bodily [harm] to someone and you were deported back to Tonga,” said the judge.
He did tattooing for a living and lived in a caravan at Hofoa with his pregnant girlfriend. He was arrested at the caravan.
HIs previous convictions included one for possession of illicit drugs.
The judge said, considering the amount of cannabis he had in possession, he agreed with the recommendation of the Crown that he be sentenced to one-month, but that it be served after and cumulative to his current sentence for grievous bodily harm.
The accused was sentenced to serve another one-month imprisonment after he completes his lengthy sentence for grievous bodily harm.