TWO young men who confessed to breaking into a house at Tasahe B in West Honiara in April and stealing properties worth $56,000 have been sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Ron Mewa, 19, and Jack Junior Haikiu, 21, were sentenced after they pleaded guilty to the charge of House Breaking and Felony.
The defendant Haikiu was also charged separately for another House Breaking and Felony charge for which he was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
This means Haikiu will serve a total of two years and two months in prison for these two separate offences.
Haikiu broke into the home of same complainant a week before he and Mewa broke did the same.
Magistrate Dalcy Belapitu Oligari, in her sentencing remarks, said the important message for the two prisoners is they must now learn and embed the art of respect in their lives, towards everything around them, including people and properties.
“Respect is the best guiding principles that will pave their way forward to a positive life when they are released from custody.
“The sentence must send a clear message to like-minded people, that the Courts will not tolerate such action, and the consequences will be severe,” she said.
Magistrate Oligari added that it must be also made clear to both of the accused that if they continue to down this path, it would only lead to severe punishment.
The court heard that between 3am and 4am on 29 April, the victim left his house to his neighbour to house-sit for him.
However, when he returned the next morning, he found there was a break in at his house.
His neighbour told him that someone broke into his house.
A TV screen, sets of OPPO brand mobile phones, sets of mobile chargers, a box of air pods, all of which were worth $56,000 were removed from the complainant’s house.
The two defendants were arrested on 7 May in relation to this break in.
A few months later, on 7 October at around 8am, the same complainant returned to his home residence at Tasahe B from his work place at Alligator Creek and noticed his gate was slightly opened.
He went into his house and found a mess and later found out his properties such as laptops, external drive, electrical drill, blender and telescope were missing.
These properties were worth $65,800.
Police arrested both defendants on 7 May and charged them for the second break in on 29 April and Haikiu was also separately charged for the first break in on 22 April.
All the properties in these two offences were never recovered.
Defence counsels Ben Alasia and Lazarus Waroka of the Public Solicitor’s Office represented the two defendants, while Public Prosecutor Herrick Lautalo appeared for the Crown.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
