BY MELVILLE TITIULU
A man has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for breaking in and stealing.
Aron Loke, 33, from Haimane village, Tina area in Central Guadalcanal, was part of a group of men who broke into the Gold Ridge compound and stole gold carbons in October last year.
He was charged with one count of housebreaking and committing felony contrary to section 300 (a) of the Penal Code [Cap 26].
Principal Magistrate Felix Hollison in delivering his sentence ruling in court yesterday said that investors should be able to feel safe when investing and conducting their business operations in the country.
“What the defendant and his cohorts did is contrary to that intention and it actually pulled our country backwards in terms of development. Therefore, taking a deterrent approach is pertinently appropriate in this case and he must be punished for his actions,” he said.
The complainant is Gold Ridge Mining Limited.
Case facts said the incident took place on October 11, 2025 at about 1:35am, where the defendant with a group of men broke into one of the Gold Ridge Mining compounds called Acom base.
The men broke into a storage container by using a bolt cutter and an ark saw. Then they proceeded to remove eight bags stored inside the container and fled the scene. The bags contained gold carbons.
The defendants and his cohorts loaded the eight bags to a black Hilux at the car wash area within the Acom base. After loading the concerned properties, the vehicle left the Acom base. It was driven by a police officer who was also accompanied by another police officer.
The defendant and the group of men met up with the police officers somewhere at the oil palm plantation. They shared the eight bags of carbon gold among them.
The bags of carbon gold are weighed at around 40kg each and the value of gold is at $1,000 per gramme.
The defendant cleaned and sold 32.5 grammes of gold to a buyer at Henderson for $28,000.
The matter was reported to the Henderson Police which led to the defendant’s arrest and charge.
The $28,000 was not recovered by police because the defendant had already spent it.
The defendant returned the remaining gold carbon in the bag to police upon his arrest.
The maximum sentence for housebreaking contrary to section 300(a) is 14 years imprisonment.
Mitigating factors include Loke’s early guilty plea, remorse demonstrated, first time offender, his cooperation with the police in returning of the remaining half of the bag and his chances of rehabilitation given his age of 33 years.
He got 18 months deducted from the 54 months for the mitigating factors
Aggravating factors include the premeditation and planning of the offence, the fact that the offence involved a group of people including the defendant, the use of weapon such as bolt cutter and ark saw that was used to gain entry into the storage facility, the economic loss that the company incurred as a result of the lost eight bags which the court valued at $224,000.
With regards to the involvement of two police officers implicated in case, the Principal Magistrate said such is a matter for the office of the Police Commissioner and the Professional Standards and Internal Investigations (PSII) to look into or investigate.
Court made it clear that the other suspects including the two police officers can still be charged if they can be properly identified and there is enough evidence against them.
The time Loke had spent in custody was also deducted. The defendant was briefly remanded from October 22, 2025 to November 19, 2025.
Court also informed Mr Loke that his Right of Appeal applies.
Sabrina Habu from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions appears for the Crown. Wally Hatingongo of the Public Solicitors Office represented the defendant in this matter.
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