Regina v Alagere [2015] SBHC 22; HCSI-CRC 203 of 2013 (26 February 2015)

HIGH COURT OF SOLOMON ISLANDS
(PALMER CJ.)

Criminal Case Number 203 of 2013

REGINA

V

Brian Alagere (aka Scophield Baro)

HEARING: 20–23, 26-30 January, 2-3, 13 February 2015
Judgment: 26th February 2015
Sentence (ex tempore): 26th February 2015

R. Olutimayin (Ms.) and M. Manata (Ms) for the Crown
Mr. G. Gray and Mr. Sevuloni Valenitabua for the Defendant

Palmer CJ.

• This court has found you guilty after trial and convicted you of the most serious offence in our Penal Code, that of murder and it is now my duty to sentence you. Under our laws there is only one sentence for murder that of life imprisonment.
  
• Before I impose that sentence for purposes of the court records, which will remain on the file as my "sentencing remarks" in this case, I note some salient features to this case.
  
• This killing has the hallmarks of being pre-arranged or planned from the outset. There was an arrangement to meet at an isolated and remote spot. You took advantage of the trusting nature of the Deceased who obliged and came to see you without realizing what was going to happen to her.
  
• It also has the hallmarks of deceit (deception) and lies running throughout. The body was disposed off in a very remote spot so that discovery was going to be made difficult. But for the picnic trip by some school boys along the Tuvaruhu stream discovery would have been further delayed or not made at all.
  
• Further you not only lied to her mother that you did not know where the Deceased was when she asked you on her return from Auki on the 3rd October 2012, but you persisted in sending of text messages and made phone calls to her parents, the contents of which you knew to be false to cover up your tracks and the crime but also misled the parents into thinking that their daughter was still alive.
  
• You had opportunity to redeem yourself and own up to the crime and surrender to police or report the crime to them on many occasions or the parents of the Deceased but you chose not to.
  
• Having said that I note that you are a young man and take that into account in specifying that in my view, a non-parole period of 25 years should be served.
  
• I reiterate that you have a right of appeal if aggrieved by the decision of the court.
  

Orders of the Court:

• Impose mandatory sentence of life imprisonment (to be effective from date remanded in custody).
  
• Informed of right of appeal if aggrieved by the decision of the Court.
  

The Court.