Rarotonga Angry

Over Light Fine

For Hit-Run Driver

From W. H. Percival on Rarotonga

Many people on Rarotonga

have been angrily up in arms recently over the light sentence meted out to a drunken hit-and run driver, who injured two women, one seriously, in Feb ruary.

THE case has highlighted the rising discontent felt by many sections of the community at the light punish ments handed out for other serious crimes that affect the welfare of many.

Such crimes include deliberately causing bush fires on Rarotonga where every available acre is needed for planting; using deadly insect icide poisons to kill fish in the streams and lagoon, resulting in needless slaughter of much marine life; burglary; and so on.

In the hit-run case in February, the driver, Andrew Koteka, was fined £lO and had his driving licence sus pended for six months after being found guilty of: • Driving under the influence of liquor.

• Causing bodily injury to the two women. • Speeding. (He was travelling, at an estimated 50-60 mph on the wrong side of the road, while the speed limit is 30 mph).

O Failing to stop after an accident. • Failing to ascertain whether the persons were injured. • Failing to render assistance.

Bones Crushed

The two women who were injured are Miss Mariko Inga, a shop as sistant, who suffered a broken leg, and Mrs. Tuaine Tikitau, 27, mother of four, the bones of whose leg and hip were crushed.

Mrs. Tikitau may be in hospital for six months. She is the daughter of Mr. Napa T. Napa, a well-known businessman and planter, and a former member of the Legislative Assembly.

On the same day that Koteka was convicted another man was gaoled for three months for the theft of a guitar!

The Koteka case has provoked many angry comments and letters in the Cook Islands News.

People on Rarotonga now hope that the legal expert who is cur rently revising and updating the laws of the Cook Islands for the Cook Islands Government will have a good look at the penalties for many of the offences now on the statute books.