31 fined for carrying weapons

THIRTY-ONE men charged with being in possession of offensive weapons were convicted by the Lae District Court yesterday.
Presiding senior magistrate Pious Tapil ordered the men aged 18 to 46 years old from different parts of Morobe – Nawaeb, Garaina, Kabwum, Tewai-Siassi and Finschhafen – to pay a court fine of K2,000 each or face 12 months imprisonment at Buimo.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Sakarias Albert explained that the 31 defendants were all under the same charge but were put into six groups for their appearance in court.
The men all admitted to the charge in court.
“Since you all pleaded guilty, this court will be lenient on you and impose court fine and that will send warning to the others out there not commit the same offence,” he said.
Magistrate Tapil told the men that fighting in public areas such as the city only served to instill fear in people and this affected daily business and other services.
“Public servants and residents at Backroad were in fear because of the fighting that resulted in schools closed, roads closed, houses burnt down and bus services stopped for days,” he said.
“All of you pleaded guilty in court on grounds that the situation had built up over time which led to the fight but you cannot take the law into you own hands, this is a city, there are law enforcement agencies you can report to without taking the law into your own hands,” Magistrate Tapil
According to the police report, a fight between Morobes and Sepiks started on Aug 6 at Backroad with policemen called to the location.
Some houses were burned and properties destroyed.