Grenade man awaits sentence

National

A MAN caught carrying a hand grenade near a Government office in Port Moresby will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Police prosecutor Snr Const Mol Siboa made a submission in the Boroko District Court for Fuksy Jack, 27, to be sentenced to two years in jail because of the seriousness of the offence where an explosive device was in the hands of an untrained individual.
Magistrate Kari Poawai adjourned the matter to Tuesday for a ruling on the penalty after hearing submissions.
Snr Const Siboa said a custodial sentence was needed instead of a monetary fine.
He said the maximum penalty for being in possession of an offensive weapon under the Summary Offences Act was four years sentence or a K4,000 fine.
Snr Cnst Siboa said this was a rare case where an offensive weapon, a grenade, being in the hands of a civilian, which posed a threat to the defendant and others around him. Jack remains in remand and will return on Tuesday for a decision on the penalty.
On June 22, between 11am and 1pm, Jack, of Niaguna village, Henganofi, Eastern Highlands, was at the car park of the Department of Lands in Port Moresby.
Police received a tip off that Jack was at the building’s car park with a hand grenade.