Ex-Fisheries officer gets partly suspended sentence
Tomasi Peckham will serve 11 months immediately, while the remaining 12 months have been suspended for three years.
Wednesday 21 October 2026 | 06:00
Updated 21 October 2026 | 12:07 FJT
All the accused will remain at the Juvenile Boys Centre until then.
A former fisheries officer was sentenced to 23 months’ imprisonment for obtaining a financial advantage of $5,587.50, with 11 months to be served immediately.
The remaining 12 months have been suspended for three years.
Tomasi Peckham appeared before Resident Magistrate Joseph Daurewa, who imposed the sentence on October 16, 2026, after Peckham pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining a financial advantage.
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The case involved funds received in connection with a seaweed value-added training programme in 2019, which Peckham failed to reimburse to the Ministry of Fisheries.
In sentencing, the court considered Peckham’s previous good character, personal circumstances, cooperation and guilty plea.
However, the court gave minimal weight to the $5,100 he repaid, noting that the restitution was made nearly seven years after the offence and after he had pleaded guilty.
The court said the partly suspended sentence recognised Peckham’s prospects of rehabilitation while emphasising the breach of public trust and the need to deter others in positions of trust from committing similar offences.
