IN THE SUPREME COURT OF SAMOA
Police v Ielemia[2014] WSSC 151

Case name: 	Police v Ielemia	
		
Citation: 	[2014] WSSC 151	
		
Decision date: 	14 July  2014	
		
Parties: 	POLICE (Prosecution)
PATI IELEMIA, male of Vaiusu-uta, Vaitele-fou and Salelologa. (Defendant)	
		
Hearing date(s): 	-	
		
File number(s): 	S1226/14, S1227/14,S1267/14, S1758/14, S1759/14	
		
Jurisdiction: 	Criminal	
		
Place of delivery: 	Supreme Court of Samoa, Mulinuu	
		
Judge(s): 	Justice Nelson	
		
On appeal from:		
		
Order:	Ona o tulaga lelei uma na o lea ua fa’aitiitia ai le taimi e te nofo sala ai i le falepuipui, aua o le taimi sa’o e tatau ona tu’u atu ia oe o le 12 masina.  A’o lea o le a fa’aitiiti i le 6 masina ona o tulaga ia.  Poloaiga foi le ofisa o leoleo e ave oe e tuli lou taimi ma lou fa’asalaga i Olomanu i le mea o loo iai le falepuipui o tamaiti.  E le fetaui ma lou olaga ma e atili ai ona faaletonu lou olaga pe a e alu i Tafaigata i le mea la e iai tagata toso teine, faasioti tagata ma tagata e te le fia latalata iai.  Talitonu mai oe i le mo’i o la’u tala lena Pati. 
A maea ona tuli lou 6 masina i Olomanu, o le a tu’u atu oe i le va’ava’aiga a le ofisa faanofo va’ava’aia mo le 12 masina.  Tu’utu’uga fa’apitoa a iai ni polokalame a le ofisa e poloaiga ai oe e te auai ai, e tatau ona e auai ai.  Aisea, leaga o la e taumafai mo oe.  E le’o taumafai mo seisi tagata.  O lea e taumafai mo se lelei o Pati ma le olaga o Pati.  Tulaga lona lua e te nofo i le mea e ioe ai le ofisa e tatau ona e nofo ai.  Ou te masalosalo o lou siosiomaga lea e i Vaitele-fou o le tulaga lena lea ua fesoasoani i le oo mai ai lau susuga i luma o le fa’amasinoga i le asō.  Usitai i le ofisa pe a poloai oe i le mea e tatau ona e nofo ai ma le aiga e tatau ona nofo ai.  Tulaga mulimuli e tatau ona e saini i le ofisa fa’anofo va’ava’aia fa’atolu i le vaiaso i le amataga o lou fa’anofo va’ava’aia.  Vagana ua oe ioe le ofisa e tu’utu’u i lalo lau saini i le fa’alua pe fa’atasi foi i le vaiaso.  Ma ia e usitai Pati i isi tu’utu’uga o lou fa’anofo va’ava’aia. 	
		
Representation: 	O Tagaloa for prosecution
Defendant unrepresented	
		
Catchwords: 	-	
		
Words and phrases:		
		
Legislation cited:		
		
Cases cited:		
		
Summary of decision:		

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF SAMOA

HELD AT MULINUU

BETWEEN:
		
POLICE
Prosecution

AND:

	PATI IELEMIA, male of Vaiusu-uta, Vaitele-fou and Salelologa
Defendant

Counsel:	O Tagaloa for prosecution
Defendant unrepresented

Sentence:	14 July 2014

SENTENCE
1.	Pati appears for sentence on numerous burglary and theft charges involving two different complainants.  The first complainant is represented by the police summary of facts dated 8 May 2014 information number S1226/14 and S1227/14.  And S1267/14 of theft of a bike. 
2.	The police summary of facts which the defendant has accepted says he is 18 years of age from Salelologa and Vaitele-fou.  The complainant is a 49 year old male who has a house at Vaitele-fou and who is a neighbour of the defendant.  Sometime during February when the family were away at a fa’alavelave the house was all locked up and no one was at home.  The defendant entered the house and stole a JVC stereo valued at $1,400.00.  Sometime in the following month of March the defendant also went on to the family property again and this time removed a bicycle valued at $500.  Police investigations led back to the defendant and when the defendant was interviewed he admitted that he was responsible for these break ins.  
3.	He was remanded in custody for sentence on those matters.  But when I let him out on bail to go and apologise to his neigbour he did a very foolish thing.  He went and broke into a different complainants house and again committed burglary and theft as outlined in the summary of facts dated 10 July. This time he entered the house while the family were all sleeping and took a number of things including a laptop, clothes, jewelry, phones, sim cards, total value of all the properties stolen according to the police summary was $3,359.00.  He put all these into his bag and started walking home.  
4.	Because this was the early hours of the morning a police patrol went past the defendant at Vaitele-fou.  The police stopped the defendant and asked him what he was doing and when he did not give them a satisfactory answer they got out of the car.  The defendant ran away and the police gave chase.  When they searched the bag they found the properties that he had just stolen from the second complainant.  All properties were duly recovered and returned to this complainant by the police.  
5.	According to the pre-sentence report the defendant has a low level of education and no real skills.  He comes from a broken home originally from Salelologa Savaii and now living at Vaitele-fou without steady employment.  He is a prime candidate for criminal offending which is exactly what Pati is doing. 
6.	O le tulaga lea e iai oe Pati, o lena e te talavou a’o lea ua agai lou olaga i tulaga o solitulafono.   Ae pule la oe, aua e leai seisi o matou e mafai ona fa’atonutonuina lou olaga i le 24 itula o le aso, 7 aso o le vaiaso.  Ae a fa’apea o le aluga lea e te alu ai Pati, o lona iuga lava o le fa’amasinoga, a le’o le potu lenei o seisi potu fa’amasinoga.  Filifili la oe po’o fea le mea e te manao e agai iai lou olaga.  E tatau ona ave oe i le falepuipui ona o mea ia ua e faia, leaga ua tele gaioiga solitulafono lea ua e faia.  A’o lea o le a taumafai le fa’amasinoga e fa’alaititi se taimi e te nofo sala ai i le falepuipui.  A’o le tulaga o lou olaga, ia o le mea la lena e pule ai a oe.  O lou lumanai o na lava e i ou lava a’ao Pati e le’o seisi o matou.  
7.	E avea ma lou lelei le tulaga lea o lea fa’atoa aumai oe i luma o le tulafono, e le’i iai ni au solitulafono muamua.  Ma o lea foi e lelei lou lipoti lea e tu’u mai e le ofisa fa’anofo  va’ava’aia.  Ma o lea ua e ioe i le solitulafono, atonu e atagia mai iina sina salamo mo mea ia sa fai.  Ona o tulaga lelei uma na o lea ua fa’aitiitia ai le taimi e te nofo sala ai i le falepuipui, aua o le taimi sa’o e tatau ona tu’u atu ia oe o le 12 masina.  A’o lea o le a fa’aitiiti i le 6 masina ona o tulaga ia.  Poloaiga foi le ofisa o leoleo e ave oe e tuli lou taimi ma lou fa’asalaga i Olomanu i le mea o loo iai le falepuipui o tamaiti.  E le fetaui ma lou olaga ma e atili ai ona faaletonu lou olaga pe a e alu i Tafaigata i le mea la e iai tagata toso teine, faasioti tagata ma tagata e te le fia latalata iai.  Talitonu mai oe i le mo’i o la’u tala lena Pati. 
8.	A maea ona tuli lou 6 masina i Olomanu, o le a tu’u atu oe i le va’ava’aiga a le ofisa faanofo va’ava’aia mo le 12 masina.  Tu’utu’uga fa’apitoa a iai ni polokalame a le ofisa e poloaiga ai oe e te auai ai, e tatau ona e auai ai.  Aisea, leaga o la e taumafai mo oe.  E le’o taumafai mo seisi tagata.  O lea e taumafai mo se lelei o Pati ma le olaga o Pati.  Tulaga lona lua e te nofo i le mea e ioe ai le ofisa e tatau ona e nofo ai.  Ou te masalosalo o lou siosiomaga lea e i Vaitele-fou o le tulaga lena lea ua fesoasoani i le oo mai ai lau susuga i luma o le fa’amasinoga i le asō.  Usitai i le ofisa pe a poloai oe i le mea e tatau ona e nofo ai ma le aiga e tatau ona nofo ai.  Tulaga mulimuli e tatau ona e saini i le ofisa fa’anofo va’ava’aia fa’atolu i le vaiaso i le amataga o lou fa’anofo va’ava’aia.  Vagana ua oe ioe le ofisa e tu’utu’u i lalo lau saini i le fa’alua pe fa’atasi foi i le vaiaso.  Ma ia e usitai Pati i isi tu’utu’uga o lou fa’anofo va’ava’aia.  Aua a e le usitai, e toe aumai foi oe i luma o le fa’amasinoga ia ona atili ai loa lea ona faigata le tulaga o le a oo iai lou olaga.  Ua e fa’alogo mai i mea ia e fai atu ai le fa’amasino? (Defendant said yes).  Taumafai e su’e se lelei mo lou olaga Pati, na e le’i taitai lou olaga, fa’aletonu le tulaga lea ua amata ai.  E iai se mea e te le’o malamalama ai i le fa’aiuga o le mataupu? (Defendant said no). 
9.	The break down is the 6 months in Olomanu will be for informations S1227/14 and S1226/14.  Information S1267/14 theft of the bike defendant is convicted and discharged. His probation term is in respect of the other burglary and theft S1758/14 and S1759/14.

JUSTICE NELSON