Life time convict, Max Gosia Taiga, who killed his employer, a Chinese businesswoman insider her shop at White Angel Building at Point Cruz, Honiara will spend 25 years in jail before he is eligible for parole.
High Court judge, Howard Lawry when sentencing Taiga on Wednesday said this is not the first time for an employee of a shopkeeper has used violence against an employer.
“I bear in mind this is not the first occasion when an employee of a shop keeper has used violence against an employer.
“The community has a right to know that those who chose to act violently against others who have entrusted them with employment can expect the Courts to impose significant terms of imprisonment.
In sentencing Taiga, Mr Lawry said he found three main objectives, and the first and foremost was to condemn his crime and denounce his actions.
“Second, to hold you accountable for the terrible harm you have caused and to attempt to impose some commensurate punishment.
“I do that on behalf of the whole community, which in particular includes the victim of your crime and her family, all of whom are part of the community in Solomon Islands.
“Third, there is the need to protect the community from a person capable of committing such a calculated murder and who presents such grave risk to public safety,” Mr Lawry added.
Taiga had initially pleaded not guilty to the murder of 44-year-old wife and mother of eight-year-old twin boys, Li Meng Chen (Lisa).
When trial was set to commence last Monday, Taiga entered a guilty plea to the charge.
Following his guilty plea, his matter was adjourned for prosecution and his lawyer to make submissions on the minimum term he should serve before he is eligible for parole.
Prosecution had asked for a starting point of between 15 to 16 years and 30 years minimum term while his lawyer asked for 12 years.
On the evening of 12 April 2021, Taiga hid himself inside Chen’s shop after informing Chen and other shop keepers he will be leaving early to go to the wharf that Monday.
At around 6pm, all shop keepers left and the deceased locked up the shop without knowing Taiga was hiding inside the shop.
The next morning, Ms Chen, after dropping off her twin sons at school, went down to open her shop shortly after 8am.
She opened the shop’s back door and walked into the shop when Taiga attacked her twice.
During the course of the attack, Ms Chen managed to call her husband and informed him someone attacked her inside the ship.
The husband then hurried to her shop, but it was closed.
He then went and sought assistance from the shop next door.
Mr Lawry when delivering his sentence on Wednesday told Taiga that the most significant aggravating feature in his case was that it was clearly a pre-planned, cold, deliberate killing.
He said Taiga had had disguised himself, waited at the shop until his employer arrived and attacked his unarmed employer with an iron bar and knife.
He said he found that there was a gross breach of trust of the employer and employee relationship.
“The deceased was vulnerable in the sense that she was alone, opening her business at the start of the day and you knew she would be vulnerable to your attack.
He said the deceased was attacked twice, first time with an iron rod and the second with a knife.
“You tied her legs together and secured them to another object whilst she lay bleeding,” Mr Lawry told Taiga.
Taiga’s lawyer explained the reason he killed her was because she had caused offence by words that she had previously used.
“What you did then was in revenge or retaliation for that perceived slight,” Taiga was told.
Mr Lawry said after the killing, Taiga took steps to prevent others from going to her rescue.
He said the shop was locked and he waited and watched while entry was made from the neighbouring shop.
The only mitigating factor, Justice Lawry took on Taiga’s behalf are his guilty plea and for having no previous convictions.
Mr Lawry imposed a starting minimum jail term of 27 years after he considered the aggravating feature.
He had refused submission made by the defence that the term should be reduced because of the perceived slight words the deceased had previously used.
“This is not a case where you even came close to losing the power of self-control.”
Mr Lawry said had Taiga entered his plea at an early stage, he could accept that it showed remorse and he may have received a greater reduction than is the case.
For Taiga’s guilty plea, and other mitigating factors, Mr Lawry reduced the term to 25 years.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Newsroom, Honiara
