No bail for father of 3 charged with wife’s murder

A 20-year-old man with three children appeared in the Lae Committal Court charged with the murder of his wife.
He could not obtain bail as the court did not have the power to grant it but was told to apply for it in the National Court.
Mision Tongoyong, from the Erap local level government area of Nawaeb, Morobe, was told by Magistrate Tera Dawai: “This court (committal) does not have jurisdiction under Section 4 of the District Court Bail Act to grant bail.
“The case will be adjourned to Oct 19 to give time to police to complete their investigation into the murder allegation.”
The court heard that the accused was charged with the murder of his wife Yaungnu Maenao on March 26 at Gabsongkeg village in the Huon Gulf.
The couple had three children.
Police alleged that during that day, Maenao had an argument with the husband for not taking care of their three children.
She passed the youngest of the siblings (baby) to the accused and walked away to her sister’s house.
It was alleged that on her return, she had a fight with the accused and the children ran to their aunt’s house.
At around midday, Maenao’s brother, on returning from feeding his chicken, saw his sister lying on the ground.
He saw the accused with his two brothers inside the house.
When he enquired about what had happened, he was told that his sister had hanged herself.
He quickly checked her pulse but felt nothing, no sign of heart beat either so he went to his other sister to seek help to rush the victim to the hospital.
It was alleged that on his return to take his sister to the hospital, the accused with the other men had already left.
They took the victim to the hospital but she was dead.
A post-mortem was carried out and medical report revealed that she did not hang herself, but died as a result of being hit with a blunt object on the head and neck.
The neck was broken.
The accused was picked up by police, arrested and charged.