A 20-year-old male offender will serve a one- year imprisonment for abetment to an armed robbery where his co-accused beat up a shop owner with a rock and fled with $1,000 cash.

Falakesi Mafi of Patanga appeared before Justice Robert Shuster on January 31 after initially pleading guilty to the abetment to the armed robbery that took place at a Chinese shop near the Holiday taxi-stand in Nuku'alofa in October 2010.

Crown Counsel Silivia 'Atiola told that court that on October 23 2010, the accused and co-accused were drinking alcohol at Kolofo'ou. They decided to steal from a shop to get more alcohol.

They covered their faces so they would not be identified and the accused together with his other co-accused gave a look out while the fourth one assaulted the victim with a rock on the head and stole $1,000 cash. After the assault they fled with the cash.

She told the court that Falakesi had cooperated with the police and agreed to give evidence for the Crown in the other case.

Serious

In his sentencing, Justice Shuster emphasised that armed robbery is one of the most serious offences and the accused abetted to the crime by keeping a lookout.

"You pleaded guilty on January 10 and without the lookout there might have not been a robbery and this is an armed robbery where someone was hit with a rock on the head."

Justice Shuster highlighted his starting point for sentencing would be seven years in prison for a guilty plea. He gave the accused an opportunity to tell him why he should not him to prison.

The accused told the judge he was remorseful of what happened and asked for one more chance.

Deterrent

Justice Shuster then stressed to the court that some crimes are very, very serious and armed robbery is one of them.

He said the Court of Appeal judges in 1996 said to refrain from imposing an imprisonment sentence especially if they are first time offenders and if the sentence could be suspended.

"But armed robbery is armed robbery and that is very serious. And the court needs to set a deterrent sentence to others that you don't go out robbing people by hitting them on the head with rocks and robbing them of a significant amount of cash."

Justice Shuster gave the accused credit for his young age, his guilty plea and for assisting the police.

"I would be failing in my public duty if I do not send you to prison for robbery," he added.

He therefore gave him initial 18 months imprisonment sentence but then he suspended the last six months for three years meaning the accused would serve only one year at Hu'atolitoli Prison.