Delay sees man walk free

By BARBARA DERUAGE
A 43-YEARD-OLD man charged with assaulting and wounding members of his extended family was freed by the Central Committal Court because police failed to complete investigations.
Freddy Yoga Yoga, from Rabaraba’s Siri Siri Village, Milne Bay, was alleged to have quarrelled with his family members over cultivation of land.
Yoga Yoga’s lawyer from the Public Solicitor’s Office applied to have the case discharged on grounds that the case had been pending more than six months, since February.
Police prosecutor Sgt Ambrose Gilio said he had no objection to the application as the case was well over the time limit and that the police file had not been served on Yoga Yoga.
Magistrate Marcus Nandape granted the application and ordered the case to be dismissed and Yoga Yoga’s bail of K200 refunded.
On June 2 last year, between 8pm and 9pm in Darava No. 2 village in the Cloudy Bay area of Abau, Central, Yoga Yoga in the company of Vanua Monai, Peter Maino and several others, armed with bush knives, hunting spears, shot gun and a home-made gun allegedly attacked John Moia and Kape Sipa and their families.
The reason behind the attack was over the cultivation of land which Yoga Yoga claimed Moia and Sipa were ineligible.
Moia and Sipa then lodged a police report in Gordon, alleging the assault, injuries and destruction of properties and crops.