Judge: Violence on the rise

COMMUNITIES in Papua New Guinea are experiencing a high level of violent crimes affecting the country’s quest for progress especially in solving disputes according to the country’s laws.
Kokopo residential judge Justice Salatiel Lenalia said this when sentencing Lawrence Warmang, from Bitapabeke village, East New Britain, to 16 years in jail for manslaughter.
He said with crimes of violence being prevalent throughout the country, it influenced PNG’s attempts in moving a step forward in terms of solving disputes in a harmonious manner as provided by the country’s laws.
He said as such deterrent sentences were called for as the courts were concerned over the loss of lives over matters that could be easily solved between family members’ related incidents.
Lenalia said it seemed to the courts that there were people who were losing their lives unnecessarily as people took such reckless and casual attitude towards life.
The court heard that Warmang used an iron bar used for husking coconuts to inflict injuries on the head of the victim – Jonah Vavaongo – who had initially used a bush knife against Warmang.
Warmang retaliated with the iron bar which he used to strike the victim several times resulting in him collapsing to the ground and wounds the victim received were life threatening as he died on arrival at the hospital.
A medical report suggested that the cause of the death resulted from a combination of factors from the primary wound inflicted by the prisoner on the victim’s head.