BY MELVILLE TITIULU
The Magistrate Court on Monday, March 30, discharged a traffic offender without punishment.
The matter was presided over by Principal Magistrate Paile Joyceth at sentencing.
The defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of charges.
Count 1- Using or permitting an uninsured motor vehicle
Count 2- Driving without a valid driver’s license
Count 3- Using or permitting an unlicensed motor vehicle
The court heard that the defendant, Jay Kobusu, on the 26th February 2026, between 9 am and 11 am, was driving a black Toyota Corolla bearing registration number T31234.
It further heard that the defendant had just bought the vehicle the same day; however, it was still registered to the original owner and had expired.
On the day in question, he intended to drive the vehicle to MID for inspection with a view to renewing the license for ownership transfer.
However, when stuck in traffic, the kukum traffic officers arrested him. That was when the officers found out that the vehicle third-party insurance and his driving license had expired.
The Principal Magistrate, Mrs Paile, told the defendant in court that the prevalence of the offence in itself was an aggravating factor. Mrs Paile said, drivers seem to make a mockery of our traffic laws. She further told the parties that traffic rules are in place to ensure the safety of passengers, and that vehicles are checked for defects.
The Principal Magistrate took into consideration the extenuating circumstances in which the offence was committed and was of the view that she is not inclined to record a conviction against the defendant due to his early guilty plea, that the defendant is a first-time offender and has cooperated with the police. It also took into consideration the personal circumstances of the defendant and his age of 33 years old. Thus, conviction not entered.
The Principal Magistrate made it clear that the right of appeal applies.
Instead, the defendant was given a good behavior bond. He was directed to the magistrate’s registry office to sign a 12-month good behavior bond in the presence of the court clerk.
If the defendant breached the bond or condition, he will be required to pay $800.
Police Constable Anthony Pirinimatawa represented the Police Prosecutions Department (PPD) and Defence Counsel Weigant Jagilly from the Public Solicitors Office (PSO) represented the defendant.
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