Court defers hearing to check wording of charges

By ZEDAIAH KANAU
A COURT has given the police prosecutor a week to relook at the wording of the charges against a lawyer who had complained about its ambiguity.
Committal Court Magistrate Tracy Ganaii in Waigani deferred the reading of the charges against lawyer Gregory James Sheppard after he filed a motion concerning the wording of the charges.
“The court will not do the arraignment or reading of charges today (yesterday),” she said.
“There is a motion on foot concerning the wording of the charges.
“The motion was served this morning (yesterday) and the prosecutor will need time to respond.
“The parties have agreed for a week’s adjournment.”
Police prosecutor sergeant Joseph Sangam said: “If there’s an ambiguity, we must be given sufficient time to look through that and to respond.”
Magistrate Ganaii adjourned the case to next Tuesday for the hearing of Sheppard’s motion.
He is on an extended court bail of K3,000 with conditions.
His lawyer Nerrie Eliakam told Magistrate Ganaii that they had filed the motion on the day prior to the court hearing.
Eliakam mentioned briefly that the information in the police information provided was ambiguous.