Magistrate warns courtroom users to switch off phones before proceedings

A DISTRICT Court Magistrate in Mt Hagen has warned court users to turn their mobile phones off before entering the courtroom.
Magistrate Lydia Karre said this yesterday when police confiscated two mobile phones in the courtroom.
She told court users in her court room that they needed to respect the court when entering a courtroom.
“If you do not respect the court and allow your phones to ring, the court will get your phone.
“Or I will use my powers to lock you up in the cell,” she said.
She said phones ringing in the courtroom disturbed the court from presiding over the cases.
Karre said she would not tolerate people who did not respect the court.
She said police in the courtroom would confiscate any phone that rang and it would be forfeited to the court.
Karre said if simple rules could not be followed then she would take action.