Elderly woman accused of murder asks court for bail

AN elderly woman in custody on a murder charge asked a court yesterday if she can be out on bail due to her poor health.
Kepal Bus, from Kuntum village, Mul-Baiyer in Western Highlands, told the court that hard labour in prison worsened her condition.
Waigani committal court Magistrate Paul Puri Nii told Bus that her rights were protected under section 32 of the Constitution and she could apply for bail at the National Court.
“Let the CS officers know that they have to contact your families to help you file a bail application for you with reasons that you are sick,” he told Bus.
Bus told the court that she was very concerned with her health because she had seen other female inmates die from illnesses while in prison.
Nii told Bus that she could state her health condition as reason in her bail application.
Police alleged that on March 29 last year at around 6pm, Bus was seen with the deceased at the Erima Flyover bridge.
Prior to that, the deceased and one of his relatives went to Erima to see Bus concerning some personal matters
At around 9pm, Bus and the deceased started drinking beer with two other men at the Faule settlement near where Bus resided in Erima.
They drank until 3am when one of the men’s wife (Lona Tom) came looking for her husband.
It was alleged that Tom found her husband having sex with the deceased near a drain and stabbed her to death.
Tom was arrested and charged with murder.
Bus was later arrested and charged as Tom’s co-accused.