BY ROMINAH FAKA
A 17-year-old juvenile who damaged the door screen of a bus was sentenced to community service after pleading guilty to one count of malicious damage at the Magistrate Court.
Court delivered its order on Monday, June 30, 2025 and pursuant to section 16 of the Juvenile Act, section 16 (k), allows court to deal with the defendant in any legal manner court allowed to do so.
By applying this, court noted that there are different alternatives provided in this same provision to deal with juveniles.
In reading through all the alternative, court framed this defendant’s penalty in the following manners.
The defendant was handed over to the custody of his parents and the conditions of this are as follows;
-The defendant will be closely monitored by his father for the next three months. He must abstain from consumption of alcohol in any form, as he is still under age and currently unemployed.
-He must avoid negative peer pressure influence and refrain from following his age group boys to engage in any unwanted and criminal activities.
-He is required to obey his parents and attend church. Defendant is also to undergo counselling sessions with the pastor on the following topics; knowing his identity in Christ, responsibility of a child of God, responsibility of a son at his family home and responsibility of a civilian of Solomon Islands.
Lastly, defendant must actively engage in house chores appropriate for his age and supervised by his parents throughout the three months period.
The parents are also ordered to assist the court by submitting reports over the next three months and to repay the complainant for the damaged glass caused by the defendant.
This matter will be reviewed during the next court hearing which is scheduled for September 29, 2025 at 10 am.
Counselling reports from the observation and sessions are also to be produced to the court on the dates of July 28, August 25 or September 1 and September 29, so as to allow court to check on the progress of the defendant’s behaviour patterns.
The incident occurred on April 22, 2025 between 12pm and 12.30pm, at Rifle Range area, Honiara.
The 35-year-old victim, a bus driver, was transporting passengers from White River 01 bus stop to Central Market. While stopping near the Rain Tree bus stop, opposite the POB area to drop off a passenger, the drunk 17-year-old defendant approached and asked the driver for $2.
According to facts stated, when the driver did not respond, the defendant walked to the other side of the bus, shouted aggressively and then used a closed fist to punch the door glass, causing the screen glass to break into pieces.
Jennifer Happlyn from PSO act for the juvenile and John Mark Saugaro from Police Prosecution Department act for crown.
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