Judge to get tough on Hela people

Highlands

Hela resident judge Martin Ipang has warned people from Hela living in Port Moresby not to commit serious offences that will force him to impose maximum penalties.
His warning came when he suspended a three-year jail term for Thomas Warepa from Tari last week.
Warepa was charged with causing grievance bodily harm for an assault on a man in Port Moresby.
“I have been a judge in Tari since 2014 and I know the people and their customs very well, but the thing that upsets me is that the ones back at home are blaming the\ ones here in Port Moresby that you are the ones causing the problems and spoiling their name and thus getting all kinds of labels,” Justice Ipang told the court.
“So think before committing an offence, because whenever I come down to Port Moresby and hear cases from Tari. I will nail you good and proper and make sure you get the maximum penalty.”
Justice Ipang told the court that he considered the mitigating factors and the accused’s remorse and suspended his three-year jail term and put him on a good-behaviour bond for two years.
The court heard that on June 14  last year at about 10pm, a man – the victim – was approached by a woman who said that there was someone in her house and she couldn’t go in.  The victim got his torch and walked into the house to check. As he walked into the room, he saw the accused sleeping on the woman’s bed next to the woman’s baby.
Realising that there was someone in the room, the accused jumped out.
He was told to leave by the victim. However, he resisted and was pushed out of the room by the victim.
The accused fell on the floor and was dragged by the victim out of the house.
The accused then placed his hand under the victim’s clothes and grabbed his  testicles, dug his fingernails in and pulled violently downwards.
The complainant  fell on the floor and bled heavily. He was taken to hospital. He lost a lot of blood.  His testicles required extensive suturing.