Case of beaten wife dropped

A man who was charged for causing grievous bodily harm to his wife had his case dismissed at Waigani Committal Court for lack of evidence.
Wallis Asi Apaso, 43, from Ungai-Bena, Eastern Highlands, was alleged to have beaten Pamela Miemofa with an iron rod, causing a fractured hand.
Magistrate Cosmas Bidar struck out the case, saying that the victim’s witness statement was fluently written in English and did not show any clauses of direct translation.
He said the statement was signed with an ‘X’, which to him meant the statement was not written or given by the victim. “If she had given her statement in a language other than English, there should be a translation clause and the effect of translation would be clearly seen,” Bidar said.
He also removed two other witness statements, saying that they do not comply with law. He said there was no evidence left to proceed with the case. Bidar ordered refund of Apaso’s bail and struck out the case.