Judge jails rogue cops

THE Waigani National Court jailed two police officers for eight years each for aggravated robbery of PMV passengers travelling with betel nuts and mustard from Central to Port Moresby.
They took 52 bags of betel nuts and six bundles of mustard and were convicted of the offence last month.
When sentencing George Ikalom, from East New Britain, and Timothy Rorepa, from Southern Highlands, on Friday, Justice Panuel Mogish told them that a strong deterrent sentence in the form of imprisonment was needed to remind law enforcement officers to fear the law they swore to protect.
“Policemen and women must be cognizant of the fact that they do not hold the law unto themselves and if they are caught, severe consequences will follow,” Justice Mogish said.
Justice Mogish also considered the interests of the offenders, the community and the victims and ordered that both prisoners compensate the victims with K1250 each within six months.
“Two years of their sentences will be suspended if compensation is made within six months from today.
“I also order three weeks be deducted from their head sentence and each shall serve a total of seven years, 11 months and a week at Bomana Correctional Services.”
Both officers had pleaded not guilty and a trial was conducted in which they elected to remain silent. The court convicted them on May 28 of robbery at Agevairu in Central.
The accused, between May 31 and April 1, 2015, unlawfully removed 52 bags of betel nuts and six bundles of mustards from the passengers of a PMV and loaded them into an unmarked vehicle and drove to NCD.
Ikalom and Rorepa said they had confiscated the items to enforce the National Capital District Betel Nut Control Law 2013.
The judge found the law inapplicable because the incident happened at Agevairu in Central and not on the border of NCD and Central.