Five men freed as police files were not prepared

A COMMITTAL court in Lae yesterday discharged five men of the charge of harbouring escapees as their police files had not been prepared.
The five men were all on bails of K500 each but only three appeared before Magistrate Pious Tapil.
He said information relating to the charge had not been provided and, therefore, struck out the case against Kaeng Gewesa, 42, from Kadanga village in Finschhafen, Ryan Kasi, 18, from Mufinz in Markham, and Laro Ekop, 19, from Wareo in Finschhafen, all in Morobe.
The other two defendants, Watte Kimson, 38, from Finschhafen, and Sapu Maji, 24, from Inna, Kabwum, also had the charges against them struck out.
Magistrate Tapil, when handing down his ruling, ordered that the three defendants that appeared for ruling had their bail money refunded while the other two that failed to appear in court would have their bail forfeited to the State.
He warned the defendants not commit the same offence again.
Police alleged that the defendants, on July 25, between 4pm and 6pm, were with an escapee (Rocky Marley) in a mini-van when they were stopped by police at China Town in Lae.
Marley had been convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 15 years when he escaped from Buimo prison on Feb 22, 2018, while seeking medical treatment at the Buimo clinic.
The court heard that Marley was identified by the police and was arrested with the five defendants.