Several people charged with drink driving appeared before Justice of the Peace John Whitta in the Criminal Court in Avarua on Thursday.

Sanualio Tuipulotu Samita pleaded guilty to charges of careless driving and driving with excess blood alcohol. 

The incident occurred on December 17, 2022, when Samita, driving a motorcycle, swerved into the sea wall near Nikao. 

He was stopped by police, and agreed to take a blood test. He recorded a rate of 220mcg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 50mcg.

He was fined $100 for the careless driving charge, and $450 for the excess blood alcohol charge. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months, and ordered to pay $150 in reparations for the blood test.

Joape Dawai Matatolu appeared before JP Whitta and pleaded guilty to one charge of driving with excess breath alcohol.

According to the summary of facts, read out in Court, Matatolu was spotted by police swerving all over the road on June 24, 2022.

He was eventually stopped and breath-tested, and drew a reading of 910mcg of alcohol per litre of breath.

JP Whitta acknowledged this was Matatolu’s first court appearance and his early guilty plea.

“However, this is just under the threshold for a three-JP sentencing,” JP Whitta said.

He fined Matatolu $450 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.

Hyrum Ulberg appeared before JP Whitta and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess blood alcohol.

According to the summary of facts, read out in Court, the incident occurred on January 15, 2023, when Ulberg was stopped by police after he fell off his motorcycle. He was blood-tested and recorded a rating of 276mg per 100ml of blood.

JP Whitta fined Ulberg $450 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months, and ordered him to pay $150 in reparations for the blood test.  

Accused facing bench warrant in long-running case 

A case that has been before the Courts for nearly two years has reached an impasse.

Heather Joy Webber-Aitu is facing a charge of careless driving causing injury.

She resides in New Zealand, and Justice of the Peace John Whitta in the Criminal Court in Avarua on Thursday noted it had been “nearly two years to the day” since Webber-Aitu’s first court appearance.

Defence counsel Mark Short told JP Whitta it had been a “challenging” case.

Short was due to leave for a holiday for New Zealand, and hoped to get in touch with Webber-Aitu while he was over there.

“I don’t think she has been altogether fair to you,” JP Whitta told Short. “Unless we have a travel itinerary, the most likely outcome is the issuing of a bench warrant.”

JP Whitta said there was a need for Webber-Atiu to enter a plea.

“It’s dragged on a lot longer than needed. We need to adjourn this, and she needs to get back here, and enter a plea,” he said.

JP Whitta adjourned the matter to April 20.