A YOUNG man who stole 68 yaqona plants worth $402.56 from his uncle’s farm has been jailed for five months.
Viliame Laverua pleaded guilty to one count of theft and was sentenced recently by Magistrate Timoci Qalinauci in the Rakiraki Magistrate’s Court
The court was told that Laverua dishonestly appropriated the two-year-old yaqona plants belonging to his uncle, Apolosi Teri Sevau.
In a police interview he admitted selling the stolen yaqona for $800 and used the money to buy a pair of boots and three-quarter trousers. Police later recovered the items.
The court also noted that yaqona is an important source of income for many rural farmers and that deterrence is an important sentencing consideration in cases involving its theft.
Laverua was ordered to serve five months and 15 days immediately, with the remaining seven months suspended for three years.
He was also ordered not to enter the victim’s farm again.
