intimidate his brother but the violent situation had many consequences – his wife fled and then Taumafai was dragged into the situation with fatal results. Afereti was a dominating force within his family, displaying aggressive behaviours to exert control in a manner typical to many perpetrators. During sentencing it transpired that he already had a previous conviction for violence toward his wife and son, again with a machete. This attitude was worsened on the night in question by his abuse of alcohol. People are able to have a drink and do not commit violent acts. Afereti did not just have a few drinks that night. He consumed at least 37 units of alcohol. The weekly recommended limit in New Zealand is 19 units.38 Afereti always had the capacity to commit such an act, as his previous criminal record demonstrated. In the night in question alcohol triggered the underlying causes – Afereti’s own need for power and control. For Taumafai it was a fatal combination. Case Study 23: Aleki’s* fighting sons39 Aleki has two adult sons – Paul and Enele. Enele returned to the family home one day to find Paul removing timbers from the house and this caused him to get angry and a fight ensued. Aleki saw his sons fighting and approached them and told them to stop. However, Enele instead turned to his father and decided to take his frustrations out on him and began punching Aleki. Paul intervened to break them up and as Aleki broke free he grabbed a nearby machete and stabbed Enele right through his back into his internal organs, causing profuse bleeding. Fortunately for all concerned Enele was able to fully recover and the family reconciled. *Names changed to protect the identities of those involved. Aleki’s story shares similarities with that of Afereti in that violence within the family quickly escalated and the end result could easily have been the same. Both stories show the cruel paradox of family violence – what starts out as a move to consolidate power and control often ends up totally out of control with tragic consequences. Violence quickly escalates as this case shows – what started out as a fist fight between brothers, within minutes ended up with a stabbing that could have resulted in the death of one brother and the long-term imprisonment of their father. The prevalence of other forms of violence within the family in Samoa appears to be of a similar magnitude and equally worrisome to that of IPV. Take for instance the cases of Afereti and Aleki above. These cases were heard only one month apart in November and December 2017 respectively. Throughout this Report the Inquiry had too many examples and case studies it could have drawn from, and the number rose daily. 38 The Inquiry has used the New Zealand alcohol limit because it is the most comparable. Samoa currently does not have a recommended limit. 39 Police v Bourne, [2017] WSSC 139. Reported at http://www.paclii.org/cgibin/sinodisp/ws/cases/WSSC/2017/139.html?stem=&synonyms=&query=stab. Accessed 30 May 2018.