Green’s murderer gets 50 years in jail
By PETER MIVA
A man was sentenced to 50 years in jail with hard labour by the National Court in Lae on Friday for the murder of Australian Russel Green.
As Justice Nicholas Kirriwom sentenced Carl Arua Beni,19, from Central and Chimbu parentage to jail, the suspect sat quietly with his head down.
The prisoner was found guilty after the end of a trial last week into the brutal killing of the former Zenag Chicken general manager at his Kwila Street, section 32, allotment 34, Eriku home on the night of Nov 9, 2005.
Beni expressed remorse and asked for leniency and a probationary sentence, however, Justice Kirriwom in his ruling told the prisoner that the court would not allow anyone to virtually walk free for taking away another person’s life.
He told the prisoner that the expatriate had contributed to the development of the country through taxes and employment opportunities, while the prisoner contributed nothing but mischief and trouble.
Justice Kirriwom told the prisoner that young men often do not realise the problems they cause to their families and their communities when they get into trouble.
He said most young men are still dependent on their parents for money, food and shelter and, when all these ceased, they hit the streets.
Justice Kirriwom told the prisoner that his remorse was a little too late as a life had been lost.
Justice Kirriwom told the court that he found no motive for the killing.
He found that the only reason might have been robbery, but the evidence showed that nothing was stolen from the house.
Evidence cited that the expatriate had accommodated a girlfriend for a few nights before his fate and had refused her a permanent stay.
Justice Kirriwom said vengeance might have been a motive for the killing.
“But who was this girl? The court does not know,” he said.
He told the court that the only item missing from the house was the remote control for the front gate which suggested that someone had access to it and had let the suspects in.
Justice Kirriwom told the court that the suspects, who had killed Mr Green, wanted him dead and this was evident in the deep multiple wounds inflicted on his skull, mouth, chest and stomach resulting in massive internal bleeding and injuries to the heart.
He said the murder weapon, a hedge cutter, found near Mr Green’s body strongly supported their intention to kill him.
Justice Kirriwom said Mr Green died a slow painful death as evidence showed blood stains on the panic button and parts of the house which suggested that he attempted to alert people.
He told the prisoner that the undisputed evidence of his own utterance of killing the expatriate while being drunk at Semos Street, Papuan Compound, on December 5, 2005, had convicted him of the murder.
The judge deducted two years and four months for the time he already spent awaiting trial leaving him to serve the remaining 47 years and eight months behind bars.
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