3 Mar 2008

Tongan teenage rioter jailed for two years

2:48 pm on 3 March 2008

A teenage rioter in Tonga who set fire to two cars parked outside the Pacific Royale Hotel during the riots of November 2006 will serve a two-year sentence in prison.

In the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court, Sione Tonga, who is now 20, of Halaleva pleaded guilty and was convicted of one charge of riotous assembly and two charges on the destruction of machinery by rioters.

In passing sentence, the Chief Justice Anthony Ford initially imposed on Sione Tonga to be jailed for four years.

But the Matangi Tonga news site says after hearing submissions from the accused's lawyer, the Chief Justice decided that two years of the sentence would be suspended.