BY MELVILLE TITIULU
A young man who was remanded earlier this year for setting his grandmother’s unoccupied house on fire after being angry that he wasn’t left his share of slaughtered pig was released yesterday.
The juvenile who cannot be identified due to legal reasons faced the Magistrate court with one count of attempts to commit arson charge, an offence which carries a maximum custodial sentence of 14 years.
He previously pleaded guilty to that charge when charged before Principal Magistrate Felix Hollison on April 24 of this year.
On Wednesday, 28, January of this year, the court heard that the complainant who is the defendant’s grandmother, instructed relatives to slaughter a pig for a communal meal.
The court also heard that everyone assisted in the preparations and that the defendant had also “contributed significantly’’ by collecting firewood.
However, during the distribution of the meat in the evening, the defendant was away in another part of the village. Due to his absence, the complainant unintentionally failed to set aside a portion for him.
The defendant returned at 8pm and discovered that there was no food left for him.
“Distraught and angry with his grandmother, he entered her unoccupied house and intentionally set fire to a bedspread on one of the mattresses,” court documents show.
Court documents revealed the fire had destroyed several valued items at an estimated value of $1,470.00 amongst others, two 3-inch mattresses.
The defendant and his family since the incident have reconciled with the complainant through a customary settlement.
The court previously heard that a total compensation package valued at $11,000 was paid to the complainant consisting of $3000.00 in cash, a Pig valued at $5,000.00 and a customary reconciliation (Chupu) valued at $3,000, held before the complainant.
The matter came for sentencing yesterday.
Prio to sentencing the juvenile, the court had to consider the fact that the offender is 17-year-old with real prospect of him being rehabilitated and integrated back into society.
The court took into consideration of the fact that the damaged caused by the defendant’s action was valued at $1,470.00.
It further noted that the defendant and his family had paid the victim a compensation valued at $11,000.00
Principal Magistrate Ben Alasia sentenced the defendant to 5 months imprisonment.
However, he noted that the defendant had already spent a bulk of 4 months and 21 days at the Rove Correctional Centre since his remand and that the remainder have been satisfactorily served.
“I ordered that the defendant be released at the rising of the court,” Principal Magistrate Alasia ordered.
Thus, the defendant was released yesterday.
Mr Herrick Lautalo prosecuted the case, and he represented the Crown, while James Tetea from the Public Solicitors Office, represented the defendant.
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