Brothers ordered to pay compo

By HEZRON KISING
TWO brothers who pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding were ordered by the Lae District Court yesterday to pay K1,000 each as compensation to another man for injuring his eye during an argument.
Brothers Glen Wafi, 28, and Luxman Wafi, 24, both from Kubalia, East Sepik, residing in Lae, entered guilty pleas to the charges against them before Lae District Court (grade five) Magistrate Pious Tapil.
The pair were handed a 12-month suspended sentence on the condition that they each pay the victim K1,000 restitution for the unprovoked attack.
Magistrate Tapil noted that a bottle of whisky was used to hit the victim on his face causing serious injury in the face and eye.
A medical report submitted to court stated that the victim’s eyesight had been affected as a result of the attack.
Magistrate Tapil also noted the mitigating factors which were that the defendants had paid the victim’s medical costs (K400); they pleaded guilty; they expressed remorse for their actions and asked for leniency as they were first time offenders.
Both men stated that they had families and could not afford to serve jail time.
The court gave a 12 months non-custodial sentence (suspended) and ordered that they:

• Compensate the victim with K1,000 each within a month;
• Be placed on good behaviour bond for six months; and,
• Their bail of K400 each be converted to court fines.

The court warned the defendants that if they do not compensate the victim as ordered, they would serve their jail terms in prison.
According to police reports from court, the incident happened last Sept 20, between 8pm and 9pm at Nawaeb Block in Lae.