A woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing $12,000 inside a car when the driver was sleeping at Point Cruz in Honiara earlier this year.
Alice Kini pleaded guilty to one count of ‘Larceny from the Person.’ The sentence was handed down recently by Principal Magistrate Ishmael Kekou at the Honiara Magistrate Court.
Kini failed to attend court on February 24, prompting the issuance of a warrant for her arrest. She was later apprehended by police and brought before the court last Thursday.
The theft occurred on January 26 at around 11 p.m. near Kingsley Fast Food. The victim, who had been drinking, stopped to rest in his car and fell asleep. Before he dozed off, Kini entered the vehicle through the left-side door and sat in the front seat with him. She asked for a beer, and the victim handed her a half-can before falling asleep.
Seizing the opportunity, Kini took $12,000 from the victim’s bag. However, she was seen by the victim’s cousin, Collin, who was standing nearby. When Collin confronted her, she quickly exited the car and left with the stolen money.
Collin woke the victim, who then returned home to Panatina Valley. Upon arriving, he realized his bag, containing his mobile phone and cash, was missing. He went back to Kingsley to search for it and was informed by bystanders that Collin had taken the bag. The victim then confronted Collin and recovered his bag and phone, but the money was gone.
When questioned, Collin suggested that the missing money had been taken by the woman he had seen inside the victim’s vehicle. The victim reported the theft to White River Police on January 30.
Police investigated and detained a woman named Rosemary, who admitted seeing the stolen money. She revealed that she and Kini had taken a taxi to Namoruka and spent the night drinking with the defendant. The next day, Rosemary left Kini.
With Rosemary’s information, police traced Kini to her sister’s house. Kini’s sister confirmed that she had briefly returned home but was intoxicated and soon left. On February 8, police arrested Kini, and during a Record of Interview the following day, she admitted to stealing the money but stated that she had already spent it.
Despite efforts, police were unable to recover any of the stolen funds.
By Assumpta Buchanan
Solomon Star, Honiara
