Businessman Parker gets 13 years for murder

The National National

By CHARLES MOI
BUSINESSMAN Justin Parker has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for killing his aircraft engineer in Port Moresby two years ago.
And the daughter of the man he killed, Elsha Nason, said she was still traumatised by the attack.
“I personally feel that my future was taken away from me so fast,” she said in a statement read out in court.
Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika described Parker’s actions as vicious.
“Taking away a person’s life is repulsive and deplorable,” Sir Gibbs said.
“The court must be seen to be protecting human life because life is lived only once . . .  no one has the right to end another person’s life.
“No amount of compensation in monetary terms, regret or remorse, is ever going to restore a life that is lost.
“The sentence also plays a role in educating our communities to live peaceful lives with one another and to deal with issues in a civilised manner.
“Our people must identify and practise proper standards of conduct in the community, that includes proper respect and tolerance for one another and have common decency.”
Parker, 46, the owner of Golden Valley Enterprise, was found guilty by the National Court of killing Lapan Nason on June 6, 2015, in Port Moresby.
Parker, from Jiwaka, will spend only 11 years and six months in prison after the court deducted the time he had spent in custody.
Elsha, 21, said: “It has been hard for me emotionally because I was present when my dad was badly assaulted.
“It was traumatizing for me and even though it has been over two years after dad’s death, to me it is still fresh in my mind.”
The court was told that on June 5, 2015, Nason failed to attend an inspection by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of a helicopter owned by Parker to answer any technical queries.
The court heard that Parker spent the night playing pokies at two clubs in Port Moresby before returning to his residence at Badili where Nason also stayed.
He queried Nason why he was absent during the inspection and assaulted him.
Nason remained unconscious in hospital until his death on June 8, 2015.