Petueli Mafua he Lotu Fifita (25) was sentenced to six-years and four-months imprisonment for dangerous driving causing the death of an 81-year-old grandfather in Ta'anea, Vava'u.

Hon. Mr Justice Cooper sentenced him last month at the Supreme Court in Neiafu, after the offender pleaded guilty.

The offending was on November 7, 2020 when the defendant, who was speeding and intoxicated with alcohol, veered off the road and onto to the left and his vehicle hit Semisi Vaka, who was walking on the verge along side the road, causing his death.

The judge said Vaka was with his granddaughter, Mele, as they were returning together from a local store. She was walking ahead of her grandfather.

“The defendant was driving his motorcar at this time, heading north on the same road heading towards Ha'alaufuli to drop some of his friends off. He was drunk after he and his friends had been drinking spirits that afternoon.

“As he reached the area where Vaka and his granddaughter were, his speed was excessive and he lost control of his car and it came off the road. One of the defendant's passenger's saw the deceased and called out a warning but the car struck him.

“His grandaughter then heard the noise of the collision and had run back to assist. She found her grandfather on the ground and gravely wounded. He suffered catastrophic head injuries. She could do nothing on her own and ran to get her family's help. They returned and took Vaka to hospital,” he said.

The deceased was found to have a 13cm laceration to his scalp that was 2cm deep. Swelling to the right side of his head suggestive of a closed skull fracture. He was also bleeding from his left ear, nose and throat. He also appeared to have had an upper airway injury from the degree of bleeding present in his throat.

Tragically, two hours after he was admitted to acident and emergency he succumbed to his injuries and died.

The doctor said the cause of death was severe head injury, secondary to multiple skull fracture and intercranial haemorrhage, with the upper airway injury possibly a contributing factor.

The judge said in addition, it was important to identify that both Vaka and Mele were vulnerable road users and as such this was a further aggravating feature to this case.

“The defendant did not stop, and did not seek assistance or try to take his victim to hospital. after colliding with Vaka, he drove off. Then, as he carried on his journey with his fellow passengers after stopping at Ha'alaufuli, he deliberately avoided returning by the same route and then drove himself home. All of which is irresponsible behaviour, as categorised; both failing to stop and trying to avoid detection,” he said.

He was then sentenced to six-years four-months imprisonment.

"For his youth and lack of previous convictions I can give some credit, but drinking excessively and driving in a dangerous way, whilst not the sole province of youth, can occur only too frequently with young people."

“However, the defendant is young and remorseful, and has real capacity to reform; his career prospects are sound and he showed promise.”

The judge then suspended the last two-years of his sentence for two-years on conditions. He also disqualified the defendant's driver's license for two-years to start from the date of his release from prison.

"There must be no breach of his disqualification from driving."