A 33-year-old man has been jailed for three years for being part of a group that broke into the Gold Ridge Mining Company’s ACOM Base in Guadalcanal and stole carbon gold.
Two police officers were also part of the group.
Aron Loke was sentenced on Monday 23rd February in the Honiara Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to one count of housebreaking and committing a felony contrary to section 300(a) of the Penal Code [Cap 26].
The maximum penalty for the offence is 14 years’ imprisonment.
In his sentencing remarks, Principal Magistrate Felix Hollison said investors must feel secure when conducting business in the country.
“The defendant’s actions undermine that confidence,” he said.
“A deterrent sentence is therefore appropriate.”
The court heard that at about 1:35am on 11 October 2025, Loke and a group of men broke into a storage container at the company’s ACOM Base.
They removed eight bags of carbon gold, each weighing approximately 40 kilograms, and transported them in a black Hilux vehicle from the compound.
According to agreed facts presented in court, the vehicle was driven by a police officer and accompanied by another officer.
The group later met at a location within an oil palm plantation in Central Guadalcanal, where the bags were divided among them.
Loke refined and sold 32.5 grams of gold at Henderson for $28,000. The money was not recovered as it had already been spent.
Upon his arrest, he returned the remaining half of his share of carbon gold to police.
In sentencing, the court described the offending as serious and aggravated. Magistrate Hollison noted that the offence was premeditated and well planned, involved multiple offenders, the use of tools to force entry, and the use of a vehicle to remove the stolen property.
He also highlighted the significant economic loss suffered by the company, estimating that the total value of the eight bags, once refined, could amount to approximately $224,000.
The magistrate further noted that, as a member of the local landowning community, Loke’s actions breached the trust of foreign investors operating in the country.
He said theft-related offending of this nature risks undermining investor confidence and negatively affecting the national economy.
“What the defendant and his cohorts did is contrary to that intention and it actually pulled our country backwards in terms of development,” he said.
The defence submitted that the offending arose from a dispute with the company concerning mineral agreements.
It was argued that carbon gold contained minerals in addition to gold and that the agreement covered gold only, suggesting the company may have taken other minerals without proper payment to landowning groups.
Defence counsel also raised the issue of alleged involvement by two members of the Police Response Team (PRT), submitting that the defendant had been selectively prosecuted and made a scapegoat while others, including the officers, had not been charged.
Addressing that issue, the magistrate stated that the alleged involvement of the two police officers “is a matter for the Office of the Police Commissioner and the Professional Standards and Internal Investigations (PSII) to look into or investigate.”
He added that other suspects, including the officers, could still face charges if they are properly identified and if sufficient evidence is available.
The court adopted a starting point of 24 months’ imprisonment. After adding 30 months for aggravating features and deducting 18 months for mitigating factors — including the early guilty plea, remorse, cooperation with police, return of part of the stolen property, and the defendant’s status as a first-time offender — the final sentence was set at 36 months’ imprisonment.
Time spent in pre-sentence custody will be deducted from the sentence. The right of appeal applies.
Wally Hatingongo of the Public Solicitor’s Office represents Loke, while Public Prosecutor Sabrina Habu appeared for the Crown.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
