25 July 2019, Apia Samoa. Justice Mata Tuatagaloa handed down custodial sentences to two young men who stole items worth more than $50,000 tala from a woman at Vaitele-tai in January last year.
Ron Mulipola and Posi Iulai Hanipale pleaded guilty to the charges of burglary and theft.
23 year old Mulipola had previous convictions of similar offences and was sentenced to 2 years and 2 months to Tanumalala prison while Hanipale received a 2 year supervision and ordered to join the bibe-based rehabilitative Teen Challenge programme.
According to police report, the pair were intoxicated when they unlawfully entered the home of the complainant at about 1am while her and her family were sleeping.
They stole mobile phones, a spectrum machine worth $50,000, speakers and other things.
Mulipola knelt before the Court and asked for a second chance, however Justice Tuatagaloa told him that she is not the one he should be kneeling before.
She also told him that the Court had given him a chance, but he blew it by re-offending just six months after serving his time for the first crime.
“Tu i luga, e te le fa’atoese mai ia te a’u, e tatau ona e fa’atoese i le tagata lea na lua gaoia ana meatotino.”
“The court had given you a chance but you did not take it seriously as you went ahead and committed the same crime you had committed before” she told Mulipola.
“A custodial sentence should teach you a lesson that what you did was not good and that you have been a bad influence to other young people who are friends with you.”
As for Hanipale Justice Tuatagaloa advised him to make use of the second chance the court has given him.
“Ia faaoga tatau le avanoa lea ua tu’uina atu e le fa’amasinoga mo oe, ma ia e auai i polokalame uma lea o le a avatu e le ofisa o fa’anofo va’ava’aia ma ia ta mau i lou mafaufau aua nei e toe solitulafono a’o e nofo va’ava’aia ai.”
