A Young man will hear the sentencing submissions and mitigation in the Honiara Magistrate court on Wednesday.
This after defendant Zane Gegeu Taisia was found guilty of assaulting a woman outside of the Pacific Crown hotel, Honiara last New Year’s Day.
He was convicted of Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm after a trial in which five prosecution witnesses and three defence witnesses, including the defendant himself, gave evidence.
Principal Magistrate Dalcy Belapitu Oligari will hear the sentencing submissions and mitigation from the prosecutor and the defence counsel.
The incident occurred between 3am and 4am on 1 January 2024 at the Pacific Crown Hotel, Honiara.
The victim had attended a show at the hotel and later got into a fight with her children’s father’s mistress.
Taisia, who was present, intervened and hit the victim on the forehead with a solbrew bottle, causing her to fall and bled.
Taisia’s co-accused, Brenden Kakai pleaded guilty to Common Assault and was sentenced to a bound over sentence of six months last year.
In addition to this conviction, Taisia is facing separate charges of Murder and Driving without a driver’s licence.
This matter was already committed to the High Court pending trial.
These charges are related to an incident on the same date at the Supreme Casino driveway in Honiara, in which Tasia allegedly drove a land cruiser into a group of girls, hitting and killing one of them.
The cruiser hit the deceased against a wall brick and then reversed and sped away from the scene.
The deceased was assisted and transported to the hospital but was pronounced dead.
Lazarus Waroka of Public Solicitor’s Office represents Taisia whilst Public Prosecutor John Wesley Zoze is prosecuting.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
