Man says he was forced to admit offence he never committed

By GIDEON KINDIWA
A MAN has told a court that two police officers, their wives and children forced him to admit to an offence he did not commit by assaulting him.
James Elias, 60, from Apengan village in Bogia, Madang, has been charged with sexual touching. It involved one of the officer’s daughters, aged 10.
Elias told the Waigani Committal Court that he had no idea what he was being accused of on Jan 10.
Elias told Magistrate Cosmas Bidar that he was assaulted inside a police vehicle.
“I was at the traffic lights at Waigani waiting to catch bus to 4-Mile when the police vehicle parked in front of me,” he said.
“The police officers put me inside and told the wives and children (in the vehicle) to beat me up.
“They pushed me down on the floor and all sat on me. They put their hands into my trousers and squeezed my testicles.
“They forced me to admit that I sexually assaulted their daughter. When I said I didn’t know anything about that, they hit my testicles and pulled so hard I was badly hurt.
“So I gave up and admitted.”
They took him to Badili police station and locked him in the cell for a night.
The next afternoon they tried to conduct an interview with him but he couldn’t speak and was very hungry.
He said the record of interview in the police hand-up brief was made up and he did not say anything from the report.
Magistrate Bidar said he would consider Elias’ statement.
He adjourned the case to June 7.