Cigarettes, Recharge Cards, Tinned Fish Burglars Get Suspended Sentence

Two men from Nadala Village in Nadarivatu, who stole cigarettes, recharge cards, and cookies, have been sentenced to 25 months and three weeks imprisonment suspended for three years.

Orisi Qiolevu and Isei Yacakuru robbed a village shop on August 2 last year after the owner and her family had gone to church.

They entered the shop by removing three louvre blades and climbing in through the window.

After they left the shop they went to Yacakuru’s house and hid some of the items near the road after eating a can of Ocean Blue tinned fish and smoked four cigarettes from a stolen packet of BH10.

While sentencing the duo, High Court Judge Justice Chamath Morais considered the aggravating factors that the home invasion was pre-planned and there was a prevalence of aggravated burglary and theft cases in society.

He said the offences had increased because of leniency at which they are dealt with adding that, ‘society now demands an unsympathetic and/or stern judicial approach on these types of offences in order to curtain them’.

In mitigation, the pair said they were young offenders and were remorseful.

They pleaded guilty to the offence at the first available opportunity.

They were given 30 days to appeal to the Fiji Court of Appeal.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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