Court strikes out murder, robbery case over lack of evidence

THE Waigani Committal Court has struck out a case of a man charged with armed robbery, murder and attempted murder because of insufficient evidence.
Magistrate Cosmas Bidar discharged Frank Jack Matana because the only evidence police depended on were two closed-circuit television pictures of a man walking past the crime scene. The pictures too were not very clear.
Matana was accused of being involved in a robbery on Jan 4 last year in Port Moresby in which the operations manager of a club was killed.
Matana and five others allegedly shot him when he drove out with a work mate. They later allegedly took K35,000 in a bag inside the vehicle.
The manager died in hospital while his workmate was admitted.
Police provided to the court a CCTV footage and what was captured in a camcorder in the vehicle.
Bidar said the evidence was not sufficient to commit Matana to trial at the National Court.