Burning down someone’s home is a serious offence, High Court in Suva judge Justice Daniel Goundar said while sentencing a 34-year-old farmer from Tailevu to three years imprisonment.
Akuila Tubuna was sentenced after pleading guilty to torching a fellow farmer’s house last year after a marital dispute.
He was drunk when he committed the offence.
Justice Goundar said Tubuna was genuinely remorseful and he had saved the court’s time and resources.
He added that the commission of the offence was an impulsive reaction to provocative news that his wife and the victim had an affair in the past.
He also said no planning was involved in the commission of the offence.
Justice Goundar said a suspended sentence was inappropriate because of the seriousness of the offence.
Tubuna will be eligible for parole after serving 18 months.
