Offender jailed for causing bodily harm to Lord Dalgety and other offence [1]
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 - 22:07
Poni ‘Ahohako (26) was sentenced to four-years imprisonment for charges, that included causing serious bodily harm to Lord Dalgety and theft in two separate incidents in 2011.
Hon Justice P. Tupou KC sentenced him last month at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa. He was convicted after two separate trials in 2021 and 2022 for three counts of serious housebreaking, causing serious bodily harm and theft.
The court heard on 9 February, 2021 at around, 2:52pm, the complainant, Lord Dalgety (76) heard a noise outside his house and saw a person inside his Ha'ateiho property.
He later identified that person as the defendant. The defendant without invitation burst through the front door, of the complainant's house, forcing the door bolt to rip the metal latch on the door frame together with part of the wooden door frame, sending it several meters across the hallway.
At the time the complainant had made his way towards the front door. Upon entering the house, the defendant punched, kicked, and hit the complainant on the left side of his head with a china teapot he took off the shelf in the house.
As a result of the attack, the complainant fell to the floor and suffered injury and bleeding from his head.
Theft
The judge said, the other incident was on 25 October 2021 at around 8:55am, when Chin Fu Lin and Manager of Sunburst Investments Enterprises Company Limited, parked in front of the MBF Bank.
He got out and stood in line with a bag containing $125,000 in cash and a cheque valued at $1,016 to deposit with the bank.
The accused was behind the complainant in the line. About a meter further down the line, a police officer Mata'uvave, who stood in line and was observing the accused. The accused had noticed the police officer and covered his head with the hood of the garment he was wearing.
When the bank opened and the complainant got to the front, the defendant grabbed the bag and struggled with the complainant to remove the bag from him. In the struggle, the complainant slipped and landed on the ground, losing control of his bag.
The defendant ran across the road towards Tungi Colonnade, with the complainant's bag in hand. Police Officer Mata'uvave chased after the defendant to the back of Tungi Colonnade.
The defendant tried to jump over the fence but was unable to before Mata'uvave got there and took the bag from him. He tried to escape but had to give up when he was blocked by a Ministry of Health vehicle and passengers who ran after him.
He was caught and taken to the central police station, said the judge.
This Crown submitted this was the defendant's third conviction for serious housebreaking and other crimes.
He was then sentenced to a total head sentence of four-years imprisonment starting from the time he was remanded for these offences.