Court briefs for the week of October 4, 2021.

$4030 for repair job

A young single mother gets placed on 15 month’s probation for careless driving, to give her time to pay off a $4030 repair job.

Tarlia Albert (19) appeared in the Criminal Court at Avarua for sentencing on Wednesday presided by Bernice Manarangi.

Careless driving only carries a maximum fine of $100.

The court heard Albert crashed her car into another vehicle on the afternoon of July 1 outside of Super Brown in Tupapa. The defendant was not under the influence of any substance at the time of the accident.

It was Albert’s first appearance in court and she had no prior convictions.

Albert’s lawyer, Keykore Ahsin said his client was happy to pay back the full repatriation costs for the car damage. But said Albert had two unstable part time jobs and was a single mother that made paying back the money in a lump sum difficult. Ahsin asked the court to consider his client’s situation and allow for the payment to be paid off gradually.

While on probation, Albert is to attend counseling at probations discretion, she was also ordered to pay $50 in court costs.

Fourth time drink driving

Wayne Mitchell, appeared in the Criminal Court in Avarua on Wednesday to be sentenced on his fourth drink driving conviction.

Mitchell previously appeared in court for drink driving charges in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He appeared Wednesday for excess breath alcohol and dangerous reckless driving. 

Mitchell was self-represented for most of the case but got a lawyer during a court break.  

Before he got the lawyer in court he said, “I’m not a bad guy, I don’t hurt people I don’t beat people up.”

Justice of the Peace, Bernice Manarangi who oversaw the matter fined Mitchell $500, disqualified him from driving for a year and fined an additional $50 in court costs.

Police asked for Mitchell to be sentenced to prison but the defendant said he recently suffered a heart attack.

JP Manarangi said if he offended again on a drink driving charge he would go to prison.

“A word of warning if you commit similar offences like this in the future you will not get another chance … if you come back to court you know where you will go,” the JP told the defendant.  

On February 27 this year after drinking, Mitchell drove swerving his car on the road, he also drove on the other side of the road but did not avoid on coming vehicles. A person then called the police.