Detainees refused bail

By ADRIAN MATHIAS
STATE prosecutors are objecting to the granting of bail to three men detained in Bomana prison, outside Port Moresby, over an alleged armed robbery.
In the Waigani National Court yesterday, a state lawyer who did not want to be named, submitted that armed robbery was a serious offence.
She submitted the three accused were allegedly armed with three homemade guns and bush knives.
She said police investigations were still pending and the application for bail should be denied until police had completed investigations.
The three accused persons are August Billy, 31, of Putanagororoi village, in the Gazelle area of Rabaul, East New Britain province; Lance Moha, 30, of Tarawe village, in Tewai-Siassi district, Morobe province, and Abraham Jack, 28, of Komu village, Bena district, Eastern Highlands province.
Billy, Jack and Moha have applied to seek bail through their lawyer, Fredrick Lunge.
Their case is proceeding at the Waigani Committal Court.
However, their lawyer submitted that bail should be granted on the grounds that the accused had been severely assaulted by members of the police force and they were young fathers with two children each.
Lunge argued the court should not consider prosecution evidence as police investigations often took the required three months to complete.
He said his clients could be granted bail to await police completing the investigation.
Lunge told the court that members of his clients’ families had agreed to pay their bail fees.
Acting Judge Justice Lawrence Kangwia said he would decide on their bail application on
Friday.