Court orders K97,000 payout to man shot in the eye by police

A COURT has ordered the State to pay more than K97,000 to a man who lost his eyesight after he was shot by a police officer.
Justice David Cannings ordered that K97,272 be paid to Wallen Awaparu who was shot in the eye by an unidentified police officer and now suffers from a permanent loss of vision.
He was awarded K80,000 in general damages, K10,000 in exemplary damages, plus an interest of K7, 272.
Cannings ruled that the State’s attempt to revisit liability was misconceived, as liability had been established before the trial, and not by a default judgment.
Cannings said the avenues by which liability could legitimately be revisited was by the State making a slip rule application to the National Court or the State appealing to the Supreme Court against the judgment of liability.
Justice Cannings found that neither avenues were taken so the application to revisit the issue of liability was dismissed.