Con timber buyer fined K800

A 40-YEAR-old man in East New Britain province was fined K800 for using two dud cheques to buy timber.
Thomas Uvana from Vunamarita village near Rabaul pleaded guilty to two counts of using dud cheques in the Kokopo District Court last week.
The court heard that Uvana obtained timber from numerous people and gave them cheques that had no value.
The people presented the cheques to the banks only to be told that Uvana’s account had no money.
The magistrate told the accused that he had used his position to lie to people when, in fact, he had no money in his account. He was told that he lied to gain a property which was unfair to the people who sold him the timber.
Uvana is also expected to go on trial next week before the Kokopo Committal Court on a charge of false pretense.
Police said they were still receiving complaints from people who claimed they were also duped by Uvana.
In another case, a 35-year-old man from Rakatop village in the Gazelle district was arrested and charged on Tuesday with committing incest.
Relatives had alleged that the man has been having sex with his 16-year-old biological daughter since last year.
Provincial police commander Anthon Billie said while it may be the first case reported this year, it was still one of many cases that had gone unreported.
Supt Billie said incest was the most commonly reported case received last year despite numerous awareness carried out by non-governmental organisations and the police.
“One of the likely causes for this is the Tolai custom and culture, where people are divided into two major clans that often disregard the fact that two people are bonded by blood through their fathers,” he said.