A taxi driver who caused another motorist to smash through the glass front of the Apia office of Polynesian Airlines has been jailed for nine months.
Lia Aiolupotea, of Lauli’i and Magiagi, appeared in the District Court facing three charges; dangerous driving causing injury, driving without a license and dangerous driving.
Presiding was His Honour Judge Vaepule Vaemoa Va’ai. Aiolupotea appeared in the dock with the owner of the vehicle.
Talatofi Fata, of Lauli’i, was also in Court for permitting someone who had no license to drive his vehicle and giving false information to Police.
Fata told Police Aiolupotea had stolen his taxi that night. It was later found out that he had given Fata permission to drive the vehicle.
It was also revealed in the summary of facts that Aiolupotea had driven away straight after the accident without stopping.
He dropped off a passenger at a nearby supermarket and then drove off but his license plate was taken down by witnesses, leading to his arrest.
Judge Vaepule in passing sentence asked Aiolupotea how the accident happened.
And why he had driven away without stopping. Aiolupotea told the Court that he drove straight into the side of the front tyre of the sports utility vehicle that then smashed into the Polynesian Airlines office that day.
He didn’t stop because he was “scared” about not having a license. Judge Vaepule questioned why Aiolupotea was fearful, when he drove that vehicle knowing he didn’t have a license.
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Aiolupotea was “scared of doing the right thing, but not scared of doing wrong,” he said.
The accident resulted with Tigaina Laupepa, a passenger in the vehicle that caused the office smash, injuring her forehead in the impact.
Questioned by Judge Vaepule whether he has apologised to the owner of the other vehicle involved, Aiolupotea said he was helping repair the vehicle.
To which the judge replied, “I’m referring to the person not the vehicle, because you cannot apologise to a car.”
Aiolupotea said the car was with being repaired by his father. He told the court his father was a mechanic and so was helping to repair the vehicle.
That was when La’auli Laupepa, husband of the victim in the accident, stood up and told the Court that his vehicle was almost all repaired.
However, he said that in fact, he has been paying for the repairs himself.
He told the Court that he has never been in contact with the defendant not even that morning before the case started in court.
Before passing sentence, Judge Vaepule noted that the probation report for Aiolupotea said he was of good character, one that can be depended on at any time by his church.
“Today however you have lied,” he said, addressing Aiolupotea. But that is not why he was sent to prison said the Judge.
Instead his imprisonment term of 9 months for the three charges reflected the seriousness of the offence.
Fata on the other hand was convicted and fined to pay $300 for his offences. He was ordered to have this paid and his failure to do so would result with his spending 2 months in prison.
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