Man writes to court denying all allegations against him

A-24-YEAR-OLD man committed to trial in the National Court has written to the Waigani Committal Court denying all allegations made against him, claiming that his former wife fabricated the allegations to cover up for her extra-marital affair.
Magistrate Ernest Wilmot read the section 96 statement of Jacob Mara, from Kaliponga village, Mul Baiyer, Western Highlands, charged with one count each of abduction, deprivation of liberty, indecent assault, rape and attempted murder.
A Section 96 statement is the defendant’s response to the allegations made in court by the complainant after the person (defendant) has been committed to stand trial.
The statement will be taken down in writing and used as evidence during trial and sometimes could be used to overturn a previous decision to commit a person to stand trial.
Mara submitted his statement through his lawyer David Kayok from the Public Solicitor’s Office, denying allegations made by Roselyn Mark, his wife then.
He argued that it was not possible for him to rape Mark because there were children in the car and claimed that Mark was not abducted but followed them on her own will.
He also claimed pictures of the injuries sustained were not annexed in the medical report, thereby contradicting the allegations made.
Mara stated that Mark made the false allegations with other witnesses to stop him (Mara) from interfering in her new relationship.
He then asked the court to reconsider the evidence provided by police and stated that it would not be “safe” to send him for trial in the National Court.
On Nov 4, last year, Mara and some accomplices were drunk, got on a Nissan sedan and went looking for Mark.
Mark was alleged to have been with her current partner at 2-Mile Port Moresby when they found her.
They were alleged to have physically assaulted her, dragged her into the vehicle and drove away.
While driving around the city, they allegedly blindfolded her and sexually assaulted her. The matter returns to court on Jan 15.