A High Court judge overturned a unanimous not guilty verdict in Suva yesterday afternoon.

This was after the assessors had found the two accused Luke Seniceva, 26, and Viliame Motokainava, 22, not guilty on one count each of aggravated burglary and theft.

Between July 1 and July 4, 2016 in the company of each other, they broke into Tamavua Primary School and stole items worth $9,178.

At the time of the incident Seniceva was 23-years-old and Motokainava was 19-year-old.

Justice Salesi Temo said he had accepted the evidence of the five prosecution witnesses as credible.

Justice Temo said he found Seniceva and Motokainava guilty of both the charges against them.

Yesterday, Justice Temo sentenced Seniceva to two years imprisonment with no non-parole period and Motokainava to two years and eight months imprisonment with no non-parole period.

Seniceva and Motokainava had pleaded not guilty when they took their plea.

While delivering his judgment yesterday morning, Justice Temo said in the 25 years he has been in the judicial system he saw that it was always more i’Taukei people when it came to aggravated burglary and theft.

“I am not proud of this because I am an i’Taukei too. I want to teach them to turn around and earn money the honest way,” Justice Temo said.

“Looks like they were following peer pressure and have to be punished. Schools are put there to uplift people. Safety of the people is top priority.”

Justice Temo added that when Seniceva and Motokainava broke into the school they were taking advantage of the students’ education.

Justice Temo said children needed to be taught a lesson that if they go against the law they will be punished.

Edited by Susana Tuilau

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