Inmate wounded in machete attack at Hu'atolitoli [1]
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 20:33. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
A quarrel between two prisoners over a chicken soup lunch at Hu'atolitoli Prison resulted in one male prisoner attacking another with a machete on Sunday afternoon, February 19, according to the Commissioner of Prisons Sione Falemanu.
He said yesterday that the inmates who were cooking, had quarrelled over the size of the portions of chicken soup that was to be served to the rest of the prisoners after church.
Inmate Lisiate Hala'ufia received a small cut to his head and was treated at the hospital, he said. He is serving a one year sentence for burglary.
Following the incident, an inmate Vilisoni Tauelangi was ordered to be put into a maximum security cell, awaiting a police investigation. He is serving 11 years imposed in 2009 for crimes that included arson committed during the burning of the Nuku'alofa Central Business District on November 16, 2006.
There are currently 108 prisoners at Hu'atolitoli, including four women.
Sione said the new prison compound holds around 76 male prisoners. Another 28 low risk offenders are kept outside of the new prison in the old prison house to do odd jobs around the prison, and that is where the offence took place, he said.