Mikaele Hoponoa Pahulu (42) was sentenced to 11 years and 7 months imprisonment for manslaughter in a sadistic, brutally violent attack on a frail 71-year-old patient at the Psychiatric Ward in Vaiola Hospital. “This was manslaughter just short of murder, possibly only because that was not charged. Why murder was not charged has never been explained,” said the Supreme Court judge. “It is just barbaric.” Another person stood alongside, watched and walked away leaving the victim unconscious on the ground.
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Results for psychiatric ward
Saturday 15 January 2022
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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Tuesday 1 September 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Mikaele Hoponoa Pahulu (40) was sentenced to three-years imprisonment for beating up a 71-year-old patient at the Psychiatric Ward in Vaiola Hospital. The victim, who suffered a severe head injury, remains paralysed and is fed via nasogastric tube.
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Thursday 23 May 2019
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's drugs problem is on the rise, “like a cancer in the community,” says Psychiatric Specialist, Dr Mapa Puloka, who warns that government is too slow in tackling the epidemic and needs to urgently prioritize more funding before it gets out of hand. He issues a stark prognosis: “If they can’t stop it...what will happen is drug dealers or drug lords will run our government and end up being their puppets because of the power of money.” By Eleanor Gee.
Monday 28 August 2017
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A 33-year-old male patient at the psychiatric ward at Vaiola Hospital has been charged with murder in relation to the death of another male patient on Friday, August 25.
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