A 16-year-old boy has been spared jail after being convicted of indecent assaults.
Lord Chief Justice Whitten sentenced the teenager to 12 months imprisonment, but suspended the entirety of the sentence for two years on a number of strict conditions.
Uikelotu Afeaki pleaded guilty to two counts of serious indecent assaults.
The offence carries a maximum of five years imprisonment.
The sexual assault occurred on December 6, 2019 at around 9am, while the woman was jogging along Hihifo Rd.
As she was running northward the defendant drove southward past her in a white van.
The van made a U-turn and followed the woman.
After talking to the woman the defendant stopped the van in front of her.
He got out and walked over to the woman and started groping her breast outside her clothing, the court was told.
He asked her if she wanted to have sex with him but the woman declined.
He further attempted to attack the woman but she yelled for help while she was reaching out to her mobile phone.
The defendant stopped assaulting the woman before he ran to his van and drove off.
He repeatedly told the woman it was okay, the court judgement read.
The woman reported the assaults to police.
Police later arrested Afeaki and initially charged him with one count of attempted rape, indecent assaults, and driving without a driver’s license.
The defendant cooperated with police and admitted to offending in his record of interview.
The defendant was convicted and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.
Judge Whitten fully suspended it for a period of two years and on conditions that the defendant did not commit any offence punishable by imprisonment during the two-year suspension, be placed on probation and he has to perform 40 hours of community work under the direction of a probation officer.
He was also ordered to undertake and successfully complete a life skills course as directed by his probation officer during the period of his suspension.
A suppression order was made prohibiting the publication of the victim’s name.
