Lawyer questions claims

LAWYERS representing Rabaul Queen owner Peter Sharp and his captain Anthony Tsiau in the ferry disaster trial have been critical of some witnesses, questioning whether they had really seen life jackets locked in the ship’s cabinet as they had claimed.
Yesterday defence lawyer Philip Kaluwin cross-examined witness and survivor Regina Taria from Keita in Bougainville.
Taria said during the journey from Kimbe to Lae, she sat on the second deck near the mothers and children’s room that also had life jackets.
Kaluwin asked her if she had gone into the mothers and children’s room but she replied that she had not.
She said that from where she was sitting and with passengers going in and out of the room, she could clearly see the life jackets being locked in wire-fenced cabinet and locked.
Kaluwin asked Taria if she had given her statement to police a year after the disaster but she disagreed and said that she had gave her statement to police the day the disaster happened – Feb 2, 2012.
About 300 people were on board the ferry when it sank in rough and windy conditions off the coast of Finschhafen.
Sharp and Tsiau are facing 172 counts of manslaughter and sending or taking an unseaworthy ship to sea.
“Your story did not mention that the life jackets were locked and other witnesses that have given evidence have not stated this fact in their statement but have mentioned it orally here in court,” Kaluwin told Taria.
“The fact is would it be that you did not notice the life jackets at that time?” Kaluwin asked.