Court strikes out domestic violence case

A HUSBAND accused of causing grievous bodily harm to his wife had his case struck out because investigations failed to identify which type of injuries he had inflicted on her.
Waigani Committal Court magistrate Cosmas Bidar yesterday ordered that Benson Kewa’s K500 bail be refunded and he be discharged after police investigations lacked clarity on whose action caused serious injuries to the victim, Pauline Kandaki.
Kewa, from Tambul-Nebilyer in Western Highlands, was alleged to have used several objects to harm Kandaki during a domestic dispute on April 16, last year, in Morata, Port Moresby, between 7pm and 8pm.
Bidar ruled that evidence was insufficient because investigations never pointed as to what injuries were caused by Kewa and that investigations should have extended to the point where other people became involved in the assault.
Kewa’s lawyer Bosky Koke, from the Public Solicitor’s Office, submitted that Kandaki was a violent woman.
“The counsel’s submissions depicts the victim (Kandaki) as a person of violence.
“Violence which the defendant (Kewa) had been enduring for quite some time.
“It was during that time that he lost his cool and struck the victim, not necessarily with the iron rod as depicted in the picture,” Bidar said.
“Because of the continuous assault on that particular day, a coffee mug was smashed on his face along with other objects.
“The Kewa ran out of the house towards his relative’s house.
“There’s evidence that the Kewa’s relative reacted to Kandaki’s continuous assault on the defendant and assaulted the victim,” he said.