Prisoners are dangerous, authorities warn
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
POLICE are hunting down three prisoners who escaped from the high security Rove Correctional Centre on Sunday evening.
Frank Firimolea, Dilo Faiga and Willie Olo were believed to have climbed over the heavily-barbed wire security fence at the southern side towards the Honiara Botanical garden 6pm and 9pm on Sunday.
It was raining on Sunday evening.
This is not the first time Firimolea escaped lawful custody.
On 18 October 2018, Firimolea and Eric Nathaniel Jr escaped from the Honiara Magistrates’ Court while waiting to be transported to the Rove Correctional Centre.
This was after they were formally remanded in custody in relation to an armed robbery charge that was said to have occurred in October 2017 at Panatina, Honiara.
Police recaptured Nathaniel Jr at the Blue Flag beach, northwest Guadalcanal on the morning of 30 October 2018, while Firimolea was recaptured inside a vehicle at White River 02 bus stop on the afternoon of that same day.
Both of them pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody and were sentenced last year to 10 months imprisonment.
In relation to the 2017 armed robbery charge, these two accused and their co-accused were acquitted due to insufficient evidence against them.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had since appealed the order of the magistrate to acquit the four accused.
Firimolea was also sentenced to two and a half year imprisonment on 5 August 2019 for a break in offence that occurred in 2015.
He was part of a group of masked men who broke into an expat’s home in Honiara when the expat was not at home.
Firimolea was ordered to serve only 12 months in jail as he had already spent 18 months in custody while waiting for his trial.
The stolen items in this matter that were never recovered are valuable electronic gadgets, jewelleries and alcohol.
Firimolea is facing three separate offences of store break in, office break in and an armed robbery charge, that are pending before the Honiara Magistrates’ Court.
The store break-in relates to an allegation on 28 April this year at the Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited (GPPOL 2) in East Guadalcanal.
Prosecution alleged Firimolea allegedly broke into a store and stole some cash and a carton of cigarette.
The office break-in charge, relates to an allegation on 22 October 2018 at the Honiara City Council (HCC) office.
Firimolea allegedly escaped but was later arrested after finger print tests were carried out.
He is co-accused with another man namely Eddie Sanau for the armed robbery incident.
The alleged incident happened at the Nature Bakery, located in East Honiara.
Prosecution alleged seven armed men including the two accused allegedly robbed more than $50,000.
The alleged incident occurred in the early hours of April 28, this year, the same day he allegedly committed the store break-in at the GPPOL 2.
The men who were allegedly armed with knives also allegedly attacked the owner and manager of the Bakery, of which, they received injuries.
The money stolen in this matter was already recovered by the police.
The second accused, Dilo Faiga is one of the men accused of robbing the ANZ ATM at Kwaimani Building in East Honiara in 2014.
His trial is listed for 2 to 6 of March 2020.
He is facing charges of armed robbery and malicious damage.
The incident happened on the night of 25 July 2015 at the Kwaimani Building where it the accused and other men allegedly uprooted the ATM machine and stole $200,000 from it.
Faiga was remanded in custody after police re-arrested him in North Malaita last year.
This was after he failed to appear in court in 2017 and was on the run since then until last year when he was arrested.
Willie Olo was sentenced to three years in prison last Monday in the Honiara Magistrates’ Court.
This is for an armed robbery charge that happened in Honiara on 23 August 2019 at A & F shop.
He was also sentenced to three years imprisonment in 2017 for a robbery incident.
The robbery incident happened at the Winlex Company at Lunnga in 2015, where masked men robbed more than $130,000, a chainsaw and other personal properties.
He also has a previous conviction of shop lifting in 2001.
