13 juveniles appear in court over school fight

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday May 29th, 2014

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

A GROUP of students including 13 juveniles all wearing school uniforms appeared in court yesterday charged with “causing a fight”.

They were allegedly part of two groups who fought in Lae last Friday. 

Magistrate Stanley Bino who presided over the juveniles read their charges and said school fights were becoming a serious problem and if it meant sending the students to jail as punishment, the court would do so.

Bino adjourned their cases to Friday after lawyer Sabenu Katurowe said she did not have the full name list and was yet to get instructions from each of them.

The juveniles were ushered into courtroom five by police officers after they were separated from the rest of the other students facing the same charge.

Another group appeared before senior district court magistrate Nasaling Bingtau in another courtroom.

Bingtau told the students to explain what they were doing at Coronation Drive last Friday when they were supposed to be at Bumayong.

They individually answered saying they did not come to fight but were there to “protest” the attack on fellow students.

Bingtau asked them if they had given police a notice of their protest “as is the normal procedure”.

“Who organised this protest? Who’s the leader of this protest? I want to speak to the leader,” Bingtau said. 

The students did not answer.

Their lawyer John Unido from the Public Solicitor’s office requested for an adjournment saying he was yet to get proper instructions from his clients.

Bingtau adjourned the matter to Friday.