A 26-year-old man who smashed a 55-year-old woman in the face with a cement block at a shop in Walu Bay, Suva early 2019 before stealing more than $1000 in cash has been jailed.
Suva High Court Judge Justice Vinsent Perera sentenced Jonasa Rokolekai to almost seven years’ imprisonment.
Court documents showed that on May 18 last year, before entering the shop with another man, Rokolekai picked up the block outside the shop. The woman was seated behind the counter at the time. Upon entering the shop, aiming for the victim’s face, Rokolekai threw the block before elbowing her chest as he grabbed $1000 in Fijian currency and 200 Chinese Yuan (approximately FJ$60) before fleeing. Rokolekai was apprehended two days later and had been in remand since. However, Police were not able to recover the stolen property.
Rokolekai was initially handed an 8-year sentence with a non-parole period of six years. Justice Perera reduced the term to six years, seven months and 15 days with a non-parole period of four years, seven months and 15 days in view of the time Rokolekai had spent in custody.
