Court grants bail to seven policemen facing murder charge

National

SEVEN police officers charged with the murder of a 14-year-old suspected of breaking into an expatriate’s residence and stealing were granted bail for K1000 each by the Waigani National Court last week.
Samuel Ambo, Joshua Pujo, Jack Aino, David Moses, Henry Miri, Asi Rody and Oroha Aroma were ordered to cooperate with arresting officers and not to interfere with any police witness.
The policemen attached to the National Capital District Taskforce Unit at Saraga 6-Mile were accused of killing Brian Lucas at the Kone Tigers Oval in NCD on Feb 2.
The State alleged that Lucas died as a result of serious assaults inflicted on him by the accused officers and that he was also stabbed on his back with a weapon.
Justice George Manuhu said it was not a case where the accused officers had a common intention to hurt somebody.
“It’s a case where policemen were in a pursuit of a suspect in the cause of their duty,” he said.
He said the court also took into consideration the space difficulty at the prison facility and it could not just dump seven officers in custody at Bomana prison.
The lawyer representing the officers said their safety at the prison was a concern for them.
He said the prison was struggling for space and food.
The court ordered guarantors for the accused officers to pay K500 each as surety payments.