Man who can’t ‘understand charge’ freed

A COURT has dismissed a case against a man charged with smoking and possessing marijuana because he could not understand the charges when read to him.
Mt Hagen District Court Magistrate Lydia Karre acquitted Elijah Paulus from Wabag, in Enga, after a relative told the court he had been smoking since he was young.
He asked the court to have him undergo treatment at the Laloki Hospital in Port Moresby.
Paulus was arrested at Standboom market last week and charged with smoking and being in possession of marijuana. When he appeared in court last Friday, Paulus could not understand the charges.
Magistrate Karre adjourned the matter to yesterday and asked prosecutors to bring a family member to court.
Older brother Hekeni Paulus told the court yesterday that Paulus had been smoking marijuana since he was small and was affected.
“I want to ask this court to send him to Laloki to undergo treatment and rehabilitate his life,” he said.
Magistrate Karre said the court could not force Paulus to plead guilty as his rights must be respected.
“I find it hard to deal with his case when he can’t understand his charges,” she said.
She told the police prosecutors and his brother Hekeni to take Paulus to the Mt Hagen hospital to get medication.
She warned Paulus not to smoke marijuana or commit any crime.
“Next time you come back to this court, I will send you to jail,” she said.