Court orders arrest

By BOURA GORUKILA
A COURT has issued a warrant of arrest for PNG’s Olympic weightlifter Dika Toua after she failed to attend court three times this month on a charge of assault.
Boroko District Court Magistrate Billy Pidu issued the warrant on Wednesday and ordered that it be returnable on July 22.
Toua’s bail of K300 has been set aside.
She was scheduled to appear on May 15, 17 and 19 but never turned up.
Toua is understood to have left the country in March.
Magistrate Pidu told police prosecutor Sgt Maureen Reu to seek the assistance of the Australian Federal Police or Interpol to send Toua back to the country. Toua, 36, from Hanuabada village in Moresby-North West, is facing a charge of assaulting a man inside the Downtown police station on March 25.
The court also ordered that her lawyer, Sinaka Goava of Sannel Lawyers, present his practicing certificate in court when the case is called on July 22.
Toua, a 12-time and current Oceania titlist, Commonwealth titlist and current Pacific Games champion is also alleged to have breached her bail condition not to leave the National Capital District without the leave of the court.
According to police, Toua, a mother of two, allegedly assaulted Robert Gavera in front of police officers at the Downtown police station who were on duty on March 25. After the alleged assault, Toua and the police officers allegedly locked Gavera in the cell and
left.
Gavera was later released without being charged.
He then lodged a complaint against Toua who was called in for questioning at the Boroko police station.
She denied assaulting Gavera.