Pokanis rejects claim by female inmate

By MARJORIE FINKEO
CORRECTIONAL Service acting commissioner Stephen Pokanis says prisons do not hold detainees, either convicted or on remand, without a warrant.
“All the detainees are detained by warrants,” he said.
Pokanis made the statement after a 35-year-old woman claimed that she was being detained at the Lakiemata prison, West New Britain, as a punishment for her son escaping from police custody last year.
Yvonna James, from Chimbu who only reached grade one, cannot read or write.
She was taken to court for her son’s escape and was now serving time in prison.
She claimed that she had done nothing wrong and police had taken her to prison.
She said her son had committed a crime and she accepted the burden as his mother.
Yvonna is married to James Nungal, from Jiwaka.
They have two sons and a daughter.
She said there were court processes but could not understand what they were.
She said that she could not read or write had not helped her with the court processes. Her hearing is on June 14.
The son was charged with raping his girlfriend.
West New Britain police commander Insp John Midi told The National that everyone went into prison with a police warrant.
Which meant that they had done something wrong.
Midi said she was in prison because there was a report that had reached CS and all the information was before court.
She was arrested, charged and taken to Lakiemata because she allegedly gave money to a police officer to release her son from the cell, Midi said.
“The police officer was also arrested and charged and he is now in prison,” Midi said.