Lengthy sentence for machete attacker [1]
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 - 20:05
By Linny Folau
Hausia Vaka (43) was sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm, when he attacked and severely injured his neighbour's left hand with a machete at Makapaeo.
Hon Mr. Justice Cooper sentenced him on 21 July at the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa, after his conviction.
On 22 November 2021 the defendant attacked 'Atieli Tulikihau by striking his left hand with the machete.
The judge said, Tulikihau had gone to his allotment to find that his pineapple plants had been destroyed. They had been trampled and hacked at using some type of bladed instrument.
The next-door plot is the defendant’s home. He has a fale there, land that he attends and a roadside market. There has been tension between the defendant and his neighbours.
When, the victim found his crops destroyed and saw Vaka on the neighbouring plot, he asked him if he had done this. Vaka said he had. He already had the machete in his hand and challenged Tulikihau to a fight.
The victim told him to throw it aside if he wanted a fight. In the end the victim turned and started to leave. This is when Vaka hit him using the flat of the machete blade and knocked him to the ground.
Tulikihau fell face down and as he landed, turned to his side, but Vaka was upon him and hacked at him. Tulikihau thought the blow was aimed at his head, instinctively stretched out his left arm to defend himself and the machete tore open his hand., said the judge.
He went straight to hospital for treatment. Even so, the wound became infected.
"His flexor tendon could not be repaired because of this and he has, in turn, lost the use of all his fingers on that hand. The laceration was 2 cm wide and 10 cm long.It ran so deep that his thumb had to be amputated by the doctors."
The judge said even at trial Vaka indulged in pretence that he was attacked first by Tulikihau with a pole.
“Even had this been the case, his actions were out of all proportion in resorting to a machete attack. In point of fact, I found that account to be untrue and dishonest. I note he still clings to it now, which does him no credit at all,” he said.
"What he did was attack a defenseless man on the ground and aimed a machete blow at his head, which in turn caused these life-changing injuries."
The defendant has previous convictions, including assault, unlawful entry and robbery, which had been jailed for.
“It is quite true that Vaka is not particularly young, nor has he taken responsibility for what he has done. He denied the offence in his police interview, and maintains his claim,that in some way justified what he did. I feel that there must be some hope for him, when he faces the long prison sentence he does,” said the judge.
He was then sentenced to seven and a half years' imprisonment, with the last 12-months suspended on conditions.