Court remands 40-year-old

A 40-YEAR-OLD man charged with attempted robbery and attempted murder has been remanded in Buimo prison by a court in Lae.
Ken Murup, from Talwat village in Rabaul, East New Britain, and a resident of 4-Mile in Lae appeared before Magistrate Tera Dawai last Wednesday for the alleged offences.
It was alleged that Murup and six other men tried to rob a company security manager in Lae last December.
The prosecution asked the court not to allow bail under Section 4 of the District Court Bail Act; a proper bail application needed to be made at the National Court for the defendant’s bail application to be considered.
The court was told that the alleged offences were serious since dangerous weapons (firearms) were used in the alleged crime.
Murup was then remanded to Buimo Correctional Services facilities while awaiting his next court appearance on August 5.
Police reports provided in court indicated that the defendant was with six other men last Dec 2 between 3pm and 4pm when they attempted to rob the security manager of a company (Seeto Kui) at Lae’s Main Market area.
It was alleged the security manager had gone to the company’s warehouse and collected the daily takings and was on his way back to the main office when the gang tried to rob him.
The defendant was alleged to have been armed with a pistol while his other accomplices were armed with an M16 assault rifle and a homemade shot gun.
Upon confrontation a brief gun battle erupted with the exchange of gun shots between the gang and the security manager which lasted about a minute before the criminals fled in a waiting vehicle without taking anything.
It was alleged that a police unit who nearby pursued the defendant and his accomplices towards 1-Mile area at Kapiak St.