Results for sentencing

Habitual property offender, Siaosi ‘Ulukivaiola (25) a prisoner, got more jail time for breaking into the Ministry of Revenue office and stealing laptops and other property worth $34,650. His two co-offenders who received the stolen property were also sentenced to jail, with one sentence suspended.

Kali Malupo (57) who was convicted of grievous bodily harm, when he struck a 24-year-old man on the head using a machete at Manuka on eastern Tongatapu, was sentenced to six and a half-years imprisonment, while his two sons received a lesser jail sentence for common assault in a group attack on the victim. The judge said their attacks “revealed levels of anger and violence going far beyond...argument of self-defence.” For Kali “the clear intention was to kill Filihai Li.”

Fokikovi Lauaki (28) was jailed for stealing $144,660 from Luna'eva Enterprises Limited in 2022. She diverted the company's funds into her own bank account and another bank account. “That she did this after being dismissed shows a particularly brazen character and one determined to cheat,” said the judge.

Pita Fanua (48) was sentenced to five-years imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm when he struck another man on the face with a fishing torch causing permanent blindness to his left eye, in a family incident in Ha’apai in 2020.

A repeat drug offender, Paula Keni Moala (53) was jailed for over seven years for possession of 28.66 grams of methamphetamine and 3.81 grams of cannabis seized by Police, who received information that he was driving around selling illicit drugs in the Nuku’alofa area. The time includes a previous suspended jail sentence that was activated.

‘Ilaisaane Kolo (19) was sentenced to eight-months imprisonment for the theft of $15,000 pa’anga, which was inside a handbag she stole from a woman at her home market in Ma'ufanga.

‘Alaponi Vaomotou (46) was sentenced to three-years nine-months imprisnment for causing serious bodily harm, when he injured his neighbour on the arm with a machete, at Fou'i. The judge said it was his second conviction for a machete attack. “I consider Mr Vaomotou poses a real danger to the public, consequently none of his sentence will be suspended."

A 50-year-old man was sentenced to an aggregate 30-months imprisonment sentence on three charges of serious indecent assaults of a teenager on Tongatapu.

A 29-year-old man was sentenced to two-years six-months imprisonment for causing serious bodily harm to his wife in a brutal attack using three weapons, on Tongatapu in 2022, after he became infuriated with gossip about his wife on Facebook. The judge said it was in the worst category of cases involving domestic violence that had come before the court.