Dad asks court to jail his son

By AILEEN KWARAGU
THE father of a man accused of drug possession appeared in court last week requesting a lengthy sentence for his son due to his addiction.
James Sowal made the request after he was invited by the court to help it decide on an appropriate penalty for the defendant his 30-year-old son Simeon James.
District Court Magistrate Samson Tatakali, in Waigani, made the request for Sowal and Simeon’s brother to appear in court.
To ask whether rehabilitation was an option before a sentence was handed down.
Police prosecutor Senior Sgt Joseph Sangam said Sowal had raised concerns about his son’s health, mental state and well-being because of his addiction to marijuana. Sangam added that Simeon was formerly a patient of the Laloki Psychiatric Centre, where he had received rehabilitative treatment for his addiction, however, he relapsed on release.
“When Simeon was discharged from the centre, he returned to his family and continued taking cannabis (marijuana),” he said.
“Simeon’s older siblings then reported him to police.
“When police got to him, they searched him and found the two K5 packets of cannabis.”
It was alleged that on March 7, Simeon, from Kutubu, Southern Highlands, was with his friends at Vadavada in Port Moresby smoking cannabis when his brother alerted the police.
The matter returns to court today for a ruling.