Bidar to rule on rape case

National
Source:
The National, Wednesday July 6th, 2016

THE Waigani Committal Court is expected to make a ruling next week on a case involving two men who allegedly raped an underaged girl during the New Year celebrations.
Samson Gaves from Asaro district, Eastern Highlands, and Peter Lulu Anton from Chuave district, Chimbu, were charged with the sexual penetration of a 15-year-old girl on Jan 1 this year at 9-Mile in the National Capital District.
Magistrate Cosmas Bidar said Gaves and Anton presented their submissions in response to police briefs at their court appearance yesterday.
Bidar said he would need time to consider submissions from the prosecution and the defendants before arriving at a ruling.
He said he would make the ruling on the sufficiency of evidence when the matter returned to court on Monday.
Bidar explained that the ruling was to find whether there was enough evidence to commit the defendants to trial at a higher court.
“People all over Papua New Guinea usually get drunk and celebrate  to welcome the New Year,” Bidar said.
“And as a result many people get into trouble.”
Earlier this year, Bidar said rape cases involving minors were increasing in the country.
He expressed concern about the trend and queried what direction the society was heading.