A DRIVER has been sentenced to two years and two months in prison for a fatal accident that killed a woman in September 2024 along the Alligator Creek Road in Central Guadalcanal.
Devine Ahukela, 48, was convicted of one count of Causing Death by Reckless Driving contrary to section 38 of the Road and Transport Act.
In her sentencing remarks, Principal Magistrate Emily Zazariko Vagibule Pakoa reminded drivers to always consider the potential consequences of their driving.
“We have witnessed a number of untimely deaths caused by very inconsiderate drivers like yourself,” Magistrate Pakoa told Ahukela.
“The crime scene visit during the trial played a significant role, showing where the victim was, the direction from which your vehicle was coming, and the lane you were supposed to be travelling in. You clearly handled yourself in a manner deemed dangerous and careless to all road users present at that time.”
Magistrate Pakoa said according to the evidence provided, the vehicle Ahukela claimed to have caused him to misjudge his driving was actually parked 4.3 meters away from the correct lane.
“Your misjudgment has cost the life of an innocent pedestrian,” she said.
The magistrate said the sentence should serve as a deterrent to Ahukela and others, as well as a form of rehabilitation and retribution.
Magistrate Pakoa, however, acknowledged, that no sentence or compensation could restore the life prematurely lost that night.
The incident occurred on 17 September 2024 between 7 pm and 8 pm, when the deceased, Jerolyn Tapalia and her niece Rose were returning from a shop.
Magistrate Pakoa reflected on the tragedy of the evening, saying it was a common time for young people to take walks with friends or family, and that Ms Tapalia could never have anticipated it would be her last.
“Who would have known that the jokes shared throughout the day, and the conversations she had with her children, parents, siblings and relatives would become her final memories?” Magistrate Pakoa said.
“As she bid farewell to a friend from the shop, she continued on what I can now describe as her final moments. God knows the thoughts rushing through her mind the moment she saw the oncoming vehicle,” she added.
Magistrate Pakoa said Ms Tapalia’s only instinct was to warn her niece walking in front of her.
She said within a split second, Ms Tapalia was struck and thrown into the grassland beside the road.
“Her stroll that evening ended in tragedy. While her parents and siblings have lost a daughter and sister, her young children have been denied the love and affection that only a mother could give,” Magistrate Pakoa added. “The scars in their hearts will continue to bleed every time they see the place where her lifeless body was found.”
Ahukela surrendered to police at the Kukum Traffic Centre on 19 September 2024 and was charged.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge, but was found guilty after a trial was conducted.
He was represented by Taedi George of the Public Solicitor’s Office, while Public Prosecutor Jonathan Auga appeared for the Crown.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
