Constable denies assaulting, threatening to shoot suspect

A SENIOR constable denied assaulting and threatening to shoot a bank robbery suspect in connection with the Kerema Bank South Pacific case in the Bomana National Court, outside Port Moresby, yesterday.
Snr Const Lawrence Wellens was attached to the Criminal Investigation Division armed robbery squad that was investigating the robbery.
In court yesterday, Wellens was questioned about assaulting and threatening to shoot Isabella Kiware along the Hiritano Highway and Laloki, outside Port Moresby, during their investigations into the K800,000-plus bank robbery in 2008.
National Court judge Justice Joseph Yagi was told that Wellens and officers – Ivan John, Jeffrey Hoiye and Joseph Paul – had threatened to shoot Kiware if she did not cooperate with police.
The court heard that she was driven in a vehicle along the Hiritano Highway and was assaulted by police in July 2008.
The policemen alledgedly punched her on the face, harassed and threatened to shoot and even attempted to rape her if she did not cooperate with them by answering all they asked in relation to the bank robbery, the court heard.
The accused (Kiware) had a broken leg and was 11 weeks pregnant at the time when she was taken by police and allegedly assaulted and threatened with attempted rape and being shot, the court heard. 
The court heard Kiware
had a miscarriage as a result of the alleged police assault while in prison.
The bank robbery trial is proceeding with a voidire trial (a trial within a trial) in which the court is examining the manner of the police record of interview.
The four bank robbery accused – Isabella Kiware, Jack Frost Kiware, Dawere Mautaia and Ivan Kaini’s – had problems with their records of interviews and were being examined in voidire to see whether procedures taken had complied with section 42 of the Constitution.
But the four accused had said in their affidavits that they were assaulted, threatened, harassed and denied their constitutional rights such as the right to legal representation when they were apprehended.
The court will rule on the case later when the voidire trial has been completed.