The Tongatapu man who beat his de facto partner after she found him having sex with another woman next door was convicted and sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment.
The final eight months of the sentence was suspended for a period of two years with conditions.
Lord Chief Justice Michael Whitten said he considered the prisoner’s lack of previous convictions, early guilty plea and remorsefulness.
“I reduce the starting point by one third or 10 months, therefore resulting in an effective sentence of 20 months’ imprisonment” he said.
The court was told that on 26 October 2020, the victim woke up to find that her partner Kaati Luka was not in bed.
She went to their neighbour and found Luka having sex with another female there.
She was angry and yelled at him, the judgement said.
She ran out of the room while Luka was chasing after her, grabbing and punching her repeatedly.
The beating was stopped when his mother tackled him to the ground.
The victim was taken to the hospital where she was examined and found to have suffered, moderate to massive general facial swelling with multiple bruises.
