A woman has been convicted of receiving thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods in the Supreme Court.
Judge Niu, presiding, found ‘Ana Lenilisi Tauvaka guilty of receiving stolen washing machines, stoves and freezers from Kisione Tauvaka in June last year at ‘Utulau.
Kisione worked at a store business in Nuku’alofa named Adiloa’s. The store business had two warehouses where it kept its goods, one at Kolomotu’a and the other was at Havelu. The keys to the Havelu warehouse were kept at the Kolomotu’a warehouse, a fact of which Kisione was aware.
On or about May 2020, Kisione used the keys to open the Havelu warehouse and stole two stoves, three chest freezers and Chinese mats. He sent the stolen property to Niuatoputapu.
On or about 16 June 2020 Kisione raided the warehouse again and stole a number of stoves and freezers.
Two nights later he stole a number of washing machines, stoves, bicycles, freezers and lamps and they were again taken to and unloaded into Fatu Fatu Taulanga’s house.
Kisione and Tauvaka subsequently took all the goods from Fatu’s house into the bush behind his house. Some of these goods were then moved to other houses.
Kisione was seen breaking into the warehouse during the third robbery and he was arrested and charged.
Police raided three homes and recovered stoves, freezers, bicycles, kerosene lamps, mats, a microwave, a sewing machine and a washing machine.
From Fatu’s house police recovered four stoves, three freezers, three bicycles, glass lamps and a microwave.
When Tauvaka was questioned by the police, she said the reason why she and Kisione had moved the goods from Fatu’s house to the bush at the back was so that Fatu would not be implicated if they had been kept in his house.
Kisione pleaded guilty to all charges and has already been sentenced.
