Results for From the Courts

Amy Leger (35) who worked as a nanny for the King’s niece and her family received a suspended sentence for three counts of forgery and one of theft when over three months in 2023, she withdrew a total of $10,000 pa'anga by using her employer's pre-signed blank cheques without authorisation.

‘Asaeli Niu’ila (96) who resides in Wellington, was successful in his action to evict occupants from his town allotment in Niutoua, after being granted judgment in the Nuku'alofa Land Court on 18 June. The judge said that this was an unfortunate case, where one of the defendants had simply misunderstood the arrangement between the plaintiff and his late parents or was misled as to his interests or rights over this land.

Fatafehi Tomasi (22) is serving 10 months imprisonment for injuring a passenger, while driving under the influence of alcohol . When his loaded car crashed into another vehicle, after a night out in a bar in the Nuku'alofa CBD, he fled the scene.

Seteone Mu’asika (26) is serving six months imprisonment for causing serious bodily harm, when he struck a 17 year old on the back with a machete, in an alcohol-fuelled attack at Lapaha in July last year. A co-accused, who escaped, has not been caught by Police. The Chief Justice said the Court must do all it can to stamp out the increasing use of machetes during disagreements.

Toni ‘Alatini (23) is serving 15 months in prison for striking Sosefo Taufa with a machete on his left arm, resulting in serious injuries in an unprovoked attack in Veitongo.

A drugs offender, Isaiah Takau lost his appeal against his prison sentence for possession of 11.94 grams of methamphetamine and cultivation of 36.67 grams of cannabis.

A fraudulent online car dealer, Filimone To‘aho, who was found guilty of eight charges of receiving a total of $243,486 by false pretences in a scam on Facebook, had his appeal against his conviction dismissed by the Appeal Court.

A cross-appeal by former government Ministers, ‘Etuate and ‘Akosita Lavulavu, challenging a Supreme Court judge's ruling that the Audit Office did not unlawfully uplift documents from the 'Unuaki 'o Tonga Royal Institute, was dismissed by the Appeal Court last week, in the latest of a long winding legal battle, which has resulted in the constant delay of their re-trial.

Pesanimo Lolohea is serving one year in prison for causing serious bodily harm to another man in an act of violence using a gun and then a spade.