Court issues warning about carrying weapon

By JAMES GUMUNO
MT Hagen District Court magistrate Lydia Karre yesterday warned that the court will not be lenient on anyone found guilty of carrying any form of weapon into town.
However, she went on to jail an offender for six months but suspended the sentence, put him on a good behaviour bond and told him that he would be jailed for eight months if he breached any condition imposed on him during his probationary period.
Karre said the court would not entertain anyone carrying a weapon and giving the same old excuse about them having enemies in Mt Hagen city.
She said the law clearly banned people from carrying offensive weapons like knives, bush knives and guns into the city.
She said that the city was supposed to be a peaceful place, not for people coming in with weapons.
Jeffery Stanley, 25, from Kumdi village in the Mul-Baiyer district, pleaded guilty before Karre yesterday to carrying a Rambo-type knife into the city.
Stanley who is married with two children, was arrested on Monday at about 1pm in Mt Hagen and charged with carrying an offensive weapon.
The defendant appeared from police custody, pleaded guilty and told the court that he took the knife into the city for security reasons because he had enemies.
Prosecutor Sam Nili told the court that Stanley brought the knife into the city with an intention to commit an offence.
He said the defendant didn’t accomplish his mission when police intercepted and arrested him.
“Mt Hagen is not his village or garden where he can carry a knife around, the defendant must be given maximum penalty and this will serve as a warning,” Nili said.