Policeman guilty of assault

A POLICEMAN was found guilty of assaulting a University of PNG lecturer in 2014 by the Waigani National Court on Friday.
Justice George Manuhu handed the verdict to former Const. Philip Bomal, 49, from Tabare village, Sinasina in Chimbu.
Bomal and other officers were involved in the assault of Francis Essy, the lecturer in the UPNG School of Business, and his two nephews at the Manu Service Station.
Essy and his nephews left their residential area at UPNG around 3.30pm to visit a relative at the medical faculty at 3-Mile.
They stopped at the Manu auto port service station to refuel when they were confronted by the police.
The police were in two vehicles asking them to go to the Hohola police station.
When they refused, they were assaulted, resulting in the lecturer suffering from skull fractures.
“The accused used the back of the rifle to hit him in the head and was identified by witnesses as the person holding the gun,” Manuhu said.
“The accused doesn’t deny that he was the person that approached the victim at the Manu Service Station.
“He gave evidence that because the complainant urinated on his vehicle tyre he approached him and enquired about why he urinated.
“The complainant became rowdy and told him that he was a lecturer. The complainant was a highly educated man, the young men in the vehicles were students at the UPNG.
“They shared 18 cans of beer between themselves at night but I accept their evidence that they were not that drunk.
“As far as the accused is concerned, I am satisfied that he hit the complainant in the head and that hit rendered the complainant unconscious.
“He was diagnosed with severe head injury with depression on the left temple bone and that injury I find consistent with the type of assault inflicted on him by the accused.
“In all the circumstances I find that the accused hit the complainant on the head with the gun with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
“I find him guilty as charged,” Manuhu said.”