A 27-year-old man from Popua was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for theft and housebreaking, after he dressed in disguise broke into a home at 'Utulau in the middle of the night and stole up to $1,500 pa'anga and goods that included jewelry and a laptop.

Pita Lolohea, a prolific thief who has 12 previous convictions of housebreakings and assault was only just released from Hu'atolitoli Prison after a two years sentence, before he committed this crime in June, 2011.

The court was told that around 11pm on June 7 the convicted offender together with his defacto partner and co-accused went to 'Utulau. The female accomplice was told to take watch outside a home at the village while he and another co-offender broke into the house disguised.

Crown Prosecutor 'Aminiasi Kefu said they covered their faces, assaulted the complainant and stole items before escaping on a vehicle back to Nuku'alofa.

Deterrent

Appearing before Justice Shuster on January 18, the convicted offender said that he did not assault the victim but he accepted the remaining facts of that night was true.

Justice Shuster told him, nevertheless he was as bad as that person who did commit the assault because he knew very well what would happen and they went in to assault the complainant.

He said his starting point of sentencing was 10 years imprisonment, even on a guilty plea, as a deterrent sentence. "You have a terrible record and nothing seems to stop you," he said.

Justice Shustersuspended the last two years of the sentence, meaning he would serve eight years in prison, backdated to start from December 2011, when the offender was held in custody.

"People need to be protected from the likes of you and it is the court's duty to do it, and I would do it", said Justice Shuster.