Litia Cava 
Two young farmers who admitted to a violent street robbery in Taveuni have avoided jail after the High Court handed them a suspended sentence.
Alipate Gaunabalavu and Sakiusa Drevuso pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery after attacking Rajinesh Kumar in Vuniwai Settlement.
The court heard the men punched and kicked Kumar before stealing his Samsung phone, t-shirt, and footwear. Kumar required medical attention for his injuries.
High Court judge Justice Lee Burney said the offence was serious and normally carried a custodial term, but the men’s youth, early guilty plea, remorse and family responsibilities weighed heavily in their favour.
The judge noted both offenders had no previous convictions, cooperated with police, and were assessed as low risk to the community in pre-sentencing reports prepared by the Social Welfare Department.
Gaunabalavu supports his wife and infant daughter through farming, while Drevuso provides for his wife and two young daughters.
Letters from family and pastors described the men as hardworking and committed to reform.
Prosecutors had sought a starting point of three years in prison, but the court reduced this to 18 months after considering mitigating factors.
Their guilty pleas earned a further one-third reduction, bringing the term to 12 months.
Having already spent two months on remand, the men were left with 10 months to serve.
Justice Burney ruled that imprisonment would not serve the community’s best interests and suspended the sentences for three years.
The judge warned both men that any reoffending within the suspension period would activate the custodial sentence.
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