Don’t use courts to get compo: Nii

By GEORGINA KOREI
A MAGISTRATE says that people should not use courts as a means to get compensation from offenders and then file to dismiss the case.
Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Paul Puri Nii said this when rejecting an appeal of dismissal from a victim of a grievous bodily harm case who received K5,600 compensation from the defendant.
Complainant Jethro Dickson was ordered by the court to refund the money he received from defendant Merry Wanpis as compensation is considered a civil matter and not a criminal one.
Magistrate Nii refused to grant the appeal for dismissal.
“The police will serve the court order to the complainant to refund the money as the matter has been brought before the court already,” he told Wanpis.
“If he wanted to resolve the issue with compensation then why did he bring the matter before the court?
“I have decided to reject the appeal to dismiss the case so that the public will know that they cannot use the court to hold offenders to pay compensation and then try to dismiss the case once they get the compensation.
“This is not the right practice and should stop.”
Wanpis told the court that the complainant had travelled home to vote in the General Election 2022 (GE22) and had not returned to Port Moresby.
Magistrate Nii adjourned the case to Aug 16 and told Wanpis to check when the complainant would return to Port Moresby so that the order could be served on him.
Wanpis and her relative Philemon Mondalume are alleged to have assaulted Dickson on Nov 27 last year after an argument.
Dickson sustained injuries to his head after being struck by two cans of beer.