Medical reports needed

A CONCERNED court magistrate in Lae has again requested prosecution to consult with the Angau General Hospital to speed up the processing of medical and post mortem reports for court hearings.
Senior provincial Magistrate Pious Tapil had previously raised the concern with the police hierarchy in Lae to reach an agreement with Angau hospital management that any medical or post mortem reports for courts must be fast-tracked. Police prosecutor Sgt Vincent Suakai told Tapil in court on Monday that police had their meeting last Thursday on the issue and had decided to take it up with the hospital’s administration soon.
The issue was raised on Monday after the court found that police files of a man charged with wilful murder had been delayed because the post mortem report was not ready.
The court heard that Ria Jonathan, 28, from Tewai-Siassi’s Semo village in Morobe was alleged to have murdered another person at Yalu village, Huon Gulf on Nov 21, 2023.
Jonathan first appeared in court on Jan 19, 2024 and has been remanded at Buimo Prison since.
“I am adjourning your case to May 13 for the last time.
“When you appear in court at this time, you can apply for the case to be struck out,” Tapil told Jonathan in court on Monday.
The police report in court alleged that Jonathan on Nov 21, 2023 at Yalu village, had an argument with his wife and chased her to her parents’ house.
The court heard that when he was leaving his in-laws’ premises he made threats against them.
He followed his wife to the house and was about to assault the mother of his wife when he was stopped.
Police said on his way home, he met his cousin brother (the deceased) with another person by a riverside and attacked him with a bush knife slashing him.