Call to focus more on big cases

HIGH profile cases in court should be given prominence and documents need to be presented on time, a magistrate says.
“Murder, rape, armed robberies and other cases that are deemed serious should have their documents compiled and ready to be presented in court on time and that has to be given prominence,” Lae District Court Magistrate Edward Kupo said.
He said that after the court found that the medical report of a deceased person against was misplaced as a result of police shifting from office to office.
Arresting officer of Ellie Apa, 36, from Gusu village, Gembolg in Chimbu, while reporting to court about the missing of the medical report, also confirmed that relatives of the deceased person were not coming forward to assist police in the case.
The arresting officer told the court that he had called them on several occasions, telling them to cooperate with police investigations but the relatives had not done anything.
“The defendant has been in custody for far too long and further prolonging the case is not good,” Magistrate Kupo said.
Such a case has to be given prominence and its documents must be treated special and kept in a safer place, he said.
The court heard that Apa, on Dec 12 last year, at Nawaeb Block in Lae at midnight, allegedly stabbed the victim with a sharp object causing death.
The victim was the wife of Luke Gusal, who went to Apa’s house looking for her (deceased person) husband.
Apa and Gusal then fought with the victim and during the fight, Apa stabbed the victim who then ran home to seek help but fall on the way and was rushed to Angau Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.
The police report said that an extra marital affair had led to her death.
The case was adjourned to Friday for ruling.