Court strikes out arson case

THE Yangoru district court yesterday ruled that detectives from the police headquarters in Port Moresby cannot investigate the burning down of 19 houses in East Sepik.
Magistrate Baptist Fehi said the court had struck out an arson case because there were no documents to confirm the engagement of the Port Moresby-based detectives to investigate the burning down of houses in Belmo, West Yangoru.
“So the case has been struck out,” he said.
“But the case can be brought up again if the complainants engaged detectives based in Yangoru police station or any other stations in the province to investigate the case.”
Fehi said that according to the jurisdiction of the committal proceedings, the district court would only hear cases investigated by the local police .
“The normal process is for police in Yangoru to investigate the case,” he said.
“But if the complainant is not happy with the progress of the investigation, then he/she can raise it with the Provincial Police Commander (PPC) to engage Wewak police to investigate.
“And if the PPC is not satisfied with the investigation, then he can advise the National Crime Director (based at the police headquarters) to bring investigators from outside the province. Then the investigation is sanctioned.
“But for this investigation, none of these documents requesting outside investigators were presented despite the court requesting for it.
“So the case has been struck out.”
Earlier, PPC Supt Robert Gesa said five suspects had been charged with a total of 55 counts for allegedly burning down 19 houses over a suspected sorcery incident.
Gesa said that the suspects were each charged with 11 counts of arson for burning houses in Belmore village on May 6 2017.
According to police reports, the suspects armed with high powered guns used a government vehicle and entered Lehiri hamlet in Belmo.
They then set the houses on fire after suspecting the owners to be involved in a sorcery killing.