BY MELVILLE TITIULU
The magistrate court will give judgement on May 5 on a teenager accused of intimidation and molestation.
Antony Talo, 18, of Fourere village, Baelelea, Malaita Province, faces charges of Intimidation and Molestation under Section 231(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment.
The allegations occurred on December 28, 2025, at around 3am in the Tasahe A area.
Police Prosecution alleged the defendant threw stones onto the roof of his neighbour, Elsie Daiwo’s house, causing fear among her family. When Mrs Daiwo confronted him, the accused allegedly responded with abusive language and dragged a sharp iron object on the ground in a threatening manner.
Police Prosecution urged court to impose a custodial sentence of six months, stressing the seriousness of the offence, particularly as a one-year-old child was inside the house at the time.
Defence argued for a suspended sentence, citing the defendant’s early guilty plea, his youth, first-time offender status, and consistent attendance at court hearings. He claimed the stone-throwing was ‘unintentional’ and was throwing stones upward, not deliberately at the complainant’s house.
However, Magistrate Fagani pressed the defence on why the defendant was throwing stones at 3 am and whether he was intoxicated, to which defence told court that his client had consumed alcohol earlier that night.
Fagani also questioned the defence’s submissions, noting that possession of weapons (stones and iron) disqualified the defendant from receiving a suspended sentence under Section 44 (1)(a) of the Penal Code.
Fagani reminded the defence that under Section 44 (2) of the Penal Code, suspended sentences cannot be applied when a weapon is involved.
“The court cannot exercise a suspended sentence if the defendant was in possession of a weapon,” Magistrate Fagani told the defence counsel.
The defence attempted to argue that the defendant was merely dragging the iron and not using it aggressively.
Fagani further stressed that the proximity and circumstances made the act threatening. He was of the view that dragging the iron within five metres of the complainant’s home was sufficient to instil fear.
Defence counsel highlighted his client’s personal circumstances, noting that he is young, single, self-employed, and a first-time offender. Talo had consistently attended his court hearings.
The court will deliver its sentence on May 5. In the meantime, bail for the defendant has been extended until then.
The matter was adjourned to May 5, when sentencing will be handed down. Bail for the defendant was extended.
Mrs Barret Raoga from the Police Prosecutions Department is prosecuting the case, while Mr Trevor Tukochi from the Public Solicitors’ Office represents the defendant.
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