Rage and violence over infidelity landed a man in jail for more than two years. The man struck a taxi driver on the head for allegedly having an affair with his wife.

Francis Mamoe of Vaiusu was sentenced recently by the Supreme Court for causing grievous bodily harm, endangering transport and being armed with a dangerous weapon. 

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was represented by lawyer Vaisala Afoa while the prosecutor was the Attorney General’s Office lawyer, Joshua Leung Wai. 

Mamoe is a father of four who lives in New Zealand and had worked in Australia under the seasonal workers scheme. 

According to the summary of facts, the defendant entered the victim Atonio’s taxi at the Savalalo fish market in August last year and told him he wanted to go to Vaitele-fou. 

While they were heading to Vaitele the defendant told Atonio to stop the taxi and confronted him about his alleged affair with his wife and about a phone call he made to her. 

The court heard that Atonio refused to discuss the matter with the defendant and continued to drive. 

Without warning the defendant attacked Atonio by strangling him and then striking him with a round metal instrument resulting in the victim losing consciousness and control of the taxi.

The taxi then swerved and struck another taxi coming on the other side of the road. Extensive damage was caused to both taxis.

"As a result of your assault and collision, Atonio was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury secondary to the assault and skull laceration and suffered speech impairment," the court said. 

The first victim of the offending is Atonio who is a 45 year old male of Magiagi. He was self-employed as a taxi driver operating from Motootua. 

The second victim was Hugo, the other taxi driver and since the accident, the accused had not repaired his taxi because of the costs of doing so.

Supreme Court Justice, Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke  said the offending from Mamoe had serious impacts on the two victims. 

“Whether she had an affair or not, your belief that she had been unfaithful is no basis for you or any other husband to confront an alleged boyfriend and assault him,” he said. 

“It almost always ends up with you sitting where you sit and facing imprisonment for your actions.”

The court took four years and six months as a starting point for sentencing and deducted time for remorse, early guilty plea and completion of the Salvation Army programme. 

Justice Clarke handed down 28 months imprisonment for the charge of grievous bodily harm on totality, four months for endangering transport, and three months for being armed to be served concurrently.