Magistrate: Don’t use health status to ask court for leniency

A MAGISTRATE says the court will not accept the excuse of one’s health being the cause of the committing of an offence.
Magistrate Edward Kupo made the comment after James Paul, 30, from Chuave in Chimbu told the court he was not well when he allegedly molested an underage girl at 9-Mile outside Lae last month.
Kupo said some people after being caught doing something wrong informed the court that they were unwell when committing the offence.
“That is why you do not use your health condition to ask for bail,” he said.
“Try to reason it out in the first place rather than coming to court and use your health status as an excuse to ask the court for leniency.
“It is a test of right and wrong.
“You must always learn to control your emotions. If you know that your health condition is not good, then why did you do what you did?”
Kupo also expressed concern over people appearing in court to seek bail without guarantors.
“I will not give bail to those appearing in court and have no guarantors,” he said. He made the comment after people appearing from custody asked for bail without guarantors.
“If given bail by the court without the guarantors, where is the guarantee that the person on bail will come back to court.”