Results for Nuku'alofa Supreme Court

Two 16-year-olds who pleaded guilty to carnal knowledge of a young girl under the age of 15 years and simple indecent assault received non-custodial sentences, at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court on May 29. “In the ordinary case, a custodial sentence would be warranted in order to reflect the Court's denunciation of this alarmingly prevalent type of offending, to protect young girls in society and effect adequate deterrence,” the Lord Chief Justice said.

Vaha Palei (32) was sentenced to two-years nine-months imprisonment for possession of 20.4 grams methamphetamine seized during a Police search at Te'ekiu.

A 25-year-old man was acquitted of attempted rape of a young woman at a home in Nuku’alofa in May last year.

Uilisoni Falahola was acquitted of manslaughter in the electrocution death of a man in Kolomotu'a in a verdict delivered by the Lord Chief Justice in his on June 19 at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa.

A deceitful senior loans officer, Finau Heuifanga Vea was convicted of embezzling more than $70,000 pa’anga from her employer, Five Star Finance in 2015. She is remanded in custody for sentencing at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa.

Pahulu Manoa (38) was sentenced to four-years imprisonment for causing the death of a 48-year-old man while driving under the influence of alcohol on Vuna Road last year.

A 29-year-old man was sentenced last Friday 14 December to 2-years and 3-months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis at a tax allotment in Malapo last year. The repeat drug offender was also found guilty of possessing over one kilogram of cannabis.

A stepfather was found guilty by a Supreme Court judge, on numerous counts that included serious indecent assault of his two young step-daughters and raping one of them, while the mother was found guilty of helping him commit several of these serious sexual offences, which took place last year in Tongatapu. Name suppression was ordered by the judge to protect the identity of the victims.

Poasi Ngaluafe (49) a senior officer working with the Ministry of Fisheries who is charged with causing the death of a man while driving under the influence of alcohol in May last year, had his case adjourned to 26 April.