32yr old Alipate Qaraniqio, was sentenced to three years imprisonment after being found guilty of robbery with violence.

The Court was earlier told that on the 24th of July, 2006 Qaraniqio and two others broke into the house of the owners of Islands Buses in Waimanu Road Suva, where they threatened the occupants with pinch bars and screw drivers before they ransacked the house and made off with $16,900 worth of cash and assorted items.

The Court was also told that during the armed robbery, an elderly man, Dass Deo had fainted and suffered a heart attack and later died in Hospital, due to the trauma of the attack.

Magistrate Amani Rokotiniviti, stressed that despite attempts to rehabilitate himself, Qaraniqio had committed an offence that was too serious and he and others had put two elderly citizens through a traumatic experience also saying that a harsh sentence is warranted.

Meanwhile, Police confirm that the hunt continues for the two others believed to have been involved in the robbery.