Man caught trying to escape from custody at courthouse

By GIDEON KINDIWA
A REMANDEE from Bomana Prison accused of raping and attempting to kill his former wife tried to escape from custody when he was brought to the Waigani District Court house but was apprehended by security guards and brought back for his court mention.
Jacob Mara, 24, from Kaliponga village in Mul Baiyer, Western Highlands, was charged with one count of abduction, one count of deprivation of liberty, one count of indecent assault, one count of rape and one count of attempted murder.
He was supposed to appear and present his submission on sufficiency of evidence when he eventually ran off after getting off the police vehicle outside the courthouse cells.
He was chased by security guards and some police officers and was caught near Magani Cresent Drive, at the back of the courthouse.
He was brought in to attend to his case where his lawyer David Kayok from the Public Solicitor’s Office presented written submissions before Magistrate Ernest Wilmot.
According to the police hand-up brief, Jacob and three of his relatives and two others allegedly abducted Roselyn Mark, gang-raped her and attempted to kill her but she was rescued by a woman.
It was alleged that Roselyn was Jacob’s former wife.
On Nov 4, last year, Jacob and his accomplices were drunk, got on a Nissan Sedan and went looking for Roselyn.
She was with her current partner at 2-Mile, Port Moresby when they found her. They physically assaulted her and dragged her to the vehicle and drove away.
While driving around the city they blindfolded her, removed all her clothes and sexually assaulted her.
It was alleged that she heard them planning to rape her, then kill her and dispose of her body.
She was taken to an unknown location where they all raped her. Then another co-accused suggested that they take her to his house at Wildlife, Erima, so they did.
They, again, raped her at the house.
The co-accused allegedly gave a bush knife to Jacob and told him to kill her.
She pleaded for mercy but Jacob went ahead and slashed her at the back of her neck. She fell down and bled heavily.
They thought she was dead so they were planning on where to dispose of her body when a woman saw what was going on and intervened to save Roselyn.
The accused all fled. Roselyn was taken to Port Moresby General Hospital where she was quickly attended to and treated.
The matter was reported to police and Jacob was apprehended, arrested and charged.
Magistrate Wilmot adjourned the case to Aug 1 for ruling.