A member of parliament in Solomon Islands who's been convicted of assault will be sentenced on Thursday in the Honiara Central Magistrates Court.
31 March 2019 - Peter Shanel Agovaka awaits his turn to speak at a political rally just days out from the election on 3 April. He was subsequently re-elected for a fourth term as MP for Central Guadalcanal. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
The member for Central Guadalcanal, Peter Shanel Agovaka, was the first MP to be sworn into the new parliament on Wednesday morning but he could also be the first to lose his seat if sentenced to more than six months in jail.
It is the second time Agovaka has been convicted of assault, which has a penalty of up to a year behind bars.
In 2008, he lost his seat after being jailed for nine months for assault and the illegal possession of a weapon.
Once he served his time he successfully contested the 2010 election, was re-elected in 2014 and again last month.
The Solomon Star newspaper reported Agovaka and a co-accused attacked an elderly constituent who had come to the MP's home to follow up on money he claimed he was promised.
The court heard Agovaka kicked the man in the face and thighs twice while he was standing and two more times when he fell to the ground.
Originally Agovaka was on trial for aggravated assault but due to inconsistencies between the victim's testimony and eye-witness accounts he was acquitted of this charge and convicted of the lesser charge of assault.
It was also reported that Public Prosecutor Bradley Dalipanda was considering appealing the acquittal on the more serious charge.
