Man found guilty over wife’s death

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
A MAN assaulted his wife who was attending a haus krai in a village leading to her death, a court has been told.
Peter Galasboi, who originally faced a murder charge, was found guilty on a manslaughter charge by Judge David Cannings.
He will be sentenced next month.
The incident happened in Kapi village, Usino-Bundi district in Madang province.
Galasboi told the court that he did not know who killed his wife and was also not aware there was a haus krai.
The court was told that on the morning of Nov 8, 2010, the wife Joy Apa was attending a haus krai for a local pastor with her father Mathew Apa and the village peace officer Danny Singil.
Galasboi arrived at the scene and called his wife to come out of the haus krai.
The court was told by a medical officer who attended to his wife after the assault that she had broken ribs.
Aiom-based health worker Vincent Lazarus said he saw “a bruise from the left ribs to the chest, a distance of about 8cm” and the fractured
ribs “broken into pieces
could have penetrated
the heart” leading to her death.
Galasboi denied assaulting his wife saying he only knew of her death after he was called by the peace officer.
But Justice Cannings found him guilty saying the act itself was not premeditated.
It was spontaneous and
in his state of anger or frustration, a blow without a weapon caused the wife’s death.
He found it incre­dible that Galasboi had no knowledge of the pastor’s haus krai in the village which every other person was attending.
He also told the court that he had difficulty speaking Tok Pisin.