Policewoman charged with assault

By MICHELLE AUAMOROMORO
A POLICEWOMAN, 58, charged in the Waigani District Court with insulting family members and neighbours while under the influence of alcohol on Tuesday, was ordered to pay her victims K200 each and cook them a meal as an apology.
Sgt Veronica Ako, from Lese Oalai village in Malalaua,
Gulf, allegedly went home drunk at Tasion Police Barracks at Gerehu on May 18
and started using abusive language at her two sons and their wives.
She continued on to assault the wives.
Ako was also using obscene words the next day and someone in the barracks called out to her to stop.
In anger, she went out of her yard and fired more expletive words at policemen.
The policemen’s wives were angered and so they started exchanging words with Ako.
After the argument, while one of the women was standing with a friend, Ako came from behind and pushed her to the ground.
Waigani District Court magistrate Rosie Johnson ordered Ako to compensate the victims, K200 each by the end of next month.
Johnson said that the compensation would be facilitated by a probation officer.
Ako was also ordered to solve this issue in a customary way by cooking food and inviting the victims together to apologise to them.
“And the final order is that in the event of breach of the compensation, you will be in prison for two months,” Johnson told her.
The matter will return to court on Jan 31 for review and to confirm if Ako complied with the orders.