A rugby player who lived a colourful life was sent to jail for one year and three months for possession of illicit drugs in Tonga.
But the judge said his sentence was fully suspended for a period of three years with condition that he must not commit an offence punishable by imprisonment during the three-year period of his suspension.
Kaniva News reports Semisi Fakava was charged with possession of 0.81 gm of methamphetamine on 17 February 2019. He pleaded guilty to the charge. When he was arrested Police also found syringe and a test tube in his possession. He was with two girls in a vehicle in Kolofo’ou at the time of his arrest.
Previous convictions
The court was told Fakava had previous convictions in the Magistrate court for possession of illicit drug.
He was also convicted in the Supreme Court twice for possession of illicit drug and dealing with a forged document and obtaining money by false pretence. He escaped imprisonment in both cases.
The court was told Fakava did not commit any other criminal offence since the Supreme Court dealt with those two cases.
Playing in New Zealand
Fakava went to New Zealand on a one year contract to play in a rugby club in which it was renewed for another two years.
While in New Zealand he had a partner and he had a child with her. She applied a permanent residence permit for Fakava in which it was approved in 2008.
But things changed after Fakava had a problem with drinking as well as problems with other girls. He was caught driving under the influence of alcohol in a car that belonged to another person.
His partner left him taking the child with her, and she had Fakava’s permanent residence in New Zealand cancelled before he returned to Tonga in 2011. That was after he had two other children to two other women in New Zealand as well.
In Tonga
In Tonga he continued working for a copier servicing company and also still playing rugby.
In 2015 Fakava got married again and he applied for and got his New Zealand permanent residence permit which allowed him and his new wife and their child to go to New Zealand.
“But then problems arose because your previous partner and the other 2 women who had children to you all sued you for maintenance. Your wife who had not known about those women and your children with them, also left you and took the child with her. She also claimed maintenance from you,” the court judgement says.
Educational background
The court was told Fakava went to Tonga High School and Tonga College and he completed form six level before he attended the University of the South Pacific in 2004 studying a computer course.
An Australian company took him to Australia on a six-month course to learn and work in repairing photocopiers.
“You completed that and returned to Tonga in 2005 and worked for Pac Trade in servicing their copiers and computers. At the same time, you were playing rugby for the Toa-Ko-Ma’afu rugby team”.
In an attempt to change his life around he enrolled at the Sia’atoutai Theological College in 2020. He said he would like to continue to do that this year.
In suspending his sentence Judge Niu said he suspended it for three years “so that you will be sure to keep yourself free of any drug, and be sure not to commit any other offence, for those 3 years”.