Former policeman jailed for theft of evidence [1]
Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 19:57. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
A 30-year-old former police officer was sentenced to two years imprisonment for charges of fraudulent conversion when he stole a total of $2,200 pa'anga from the exhibit room at the Nuku'alofa Central Police Station.
Sangato Kivalu was sentenced by Justice Shuster on January 19, after he pleaded guilty to four counts of fraudulent conversion in December last year.
Justice Robert Shuster told him that he had been dismissed from the Tonga Police after he stole money three times from the exhibit room where he was working as the exhibit keeper at the Central Police station.
The court was told that the offender first stole $2,000 and then $100 pa'anga in 2009 and on a third occasion in 2010 another $100 pa'anga from the exhibit room. He had to date paid over half of the money back.
Justice Shuster told the offender that this was a clear breach of trust and his starting sentence was four years, even on a guilty plea.
"You pleaded guilty to a very serious offence, because you were employed as a police officer in the Tonga Police who administers justice, and its work is just. Suppose the Crown had a trial and needed the money for evidence but it was gone, they would have no way then to prove their case, and you would then cause suspicion over the Tonga Police.
"You have lost your job, your pension and good name but you are going to prison because you have breached trust and brought disgrace upon yourself, the Tonga Police and the people you serve," he said.
Justice Shuster then imposed four years sentence and suspended the last two years, meaning he would serve two years in prison.
"This is a deterrent sentence to show that corruption by police officers should and would not be tolerated", he said.