Cheating mum told to pay K1,000 to daughter

By JAMES GUMUNO
A COURT has ordered a mother-of-three to pay her eldest daughter K1,000 for burning her school bag, books and clothes after the girl told her father about her mother’s affair.
Mt Hagen District Court Magistrate Donald Joseph described Jennifer Pup, 28, as “sick” for bringing a man into the family home, in full view of her three children, while husband John Max was away.
“It’s very embarrassing and shameful for a mother who wants to satisfy her sexual desire by taking another man into the room to sleep with him in front of her kids,” he said.
“Parents are supposed to show good example to their kids. What Pup (did) is very disrespectful to the kids.”
Pup is from Wamugl village in Tambul, Western Highlands.
The court heard that her husband Max, from Usino-Bundi in Madang,went to spend the night at the Madang compound in Mt Hagen city. The family lives at the Hagen Kopi settlement.
On the night of March 23, Pup forced her two daughters and son to sleep outside the living room. They pretended to be asleep when she brought in the man who left early next morning.
The court was told the eldest daughter reported the matter to her father. Pup burnt her daughter’s clothes, school bag and books and threatened her.
Pup was arrested on April 5 and charged with the abuse of a minor under the Lukautim Pikinini Act.
She pleaded guilty to the charge.
Pup offered to compensate her daughter with K200. Magistrate Joseph rejected it saying it was not sufficient “to compensate your daughter for the damage and time she missed classes”.
He imposed a one-year prison term but suspended it at the daughter’s request.