Judge slams drunken murders

KILLINGS by drunken young offenders are becoming too frequent and offenders should be prepared to serve lengthy jail terms as a deterrent to such heinous crimes, National Court judge Justice Panuel Mogish said yesterday.
Justice Mogish said this while sentencing three men to prison for murder.
The three convicts are Daniel Patrick (about 20) from Ambunti district in East Sepik province; Simeon Taupa (about 16), of mixed East New Britain and New Zealand parentage; and John Bau (about 18), from Daru in Western province.
Patrick will serve 16 years in jail for being the one who wielded the knife that killed the deceased, while Taupa and Bau were each sentenced to 14-year terms.
While handing down his decision yesterday, Justice Mogish said: “You all acted like adults and so I must punish you on that basis. There are too many killings involving drunken youths and offenders in that category must be warned that they will not be spared of lengthy jail sentences if they attack and kill innocent people.”
Justice Mogish said there was no evidence that Taupa and Bau had also stabbed Hore Mirou, 22, at Sabama Horse Camp Settlement on Dec 22, 2007.
However, they had all pleaded guilty to the murder.
The judge said Patrick had been armed with a knife on the night when he chased the deceased and attacked him, while Taupa and Bau had assisted in the assault.
Justice Mogish in his statement said: “The trio chased the deceased to a store where they jointly assaulted him.
“During the melee, Patrick stabbed the deceased on the left side of his body.
“The deceased fell to the ground where he was further assaulted by the convicts.
“The deceased was later taken to the Port Moresby General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.”
He said according to the doctor’s report, the death was due to a stab wound to the chest and through the heart.
The maximum prescribed penalty for murder is life imprisonment.
Justice Mogish added: “A person who kills another person under any circumstances not sanctioned by law must be severely punished to emphasise the sanctity of human life.”