Two men had been jailed for their crimes at Nuku’alofa Central Business District and received five and three years jail terms, respectively.
Taulanga Siupeli Nonu pleaded guilty to serious housebreaking, theft and serious arson.
The Lord Chief Justice Malcolm Bishop sentenced Nonu to seven and a half years for serious housebreaking, theft and serious arson in jail. He suspended the last two years on conditions.
His co-accused, Molitoni Moimoi, pleaded guilty to serious housebreaking and theft.
He had been sentenced to three years and two months. The Police had dropped the arson charge against him.
The two months had been added following the activation of his suspension penalty imposed in an earlier case.
The duo had been charged after committing the crimes at the Teta Tours building.
The Lord Chief Justice said these were serious offences and that Nonu destroyed property worth no less than TOP$ 1 million.
He said Moimoi had a very bad record of offending since 2020.
The judge said that in both cases, the offences were premeditated, and although both pleaded guilty, they only did so on the day of the trial and, indeed, after a jury had been sworn in and the trial was about to commence.
He said in Moimoi’s case, these offences were committed whilst he was subject to a fully suspended sentence and additionally committed while on bail.
“There is very little it can be said in mitigation in the case of either of you and the time has now come for the full force of the law to take its course”, Mr Bishop said.
