Robbery, murder case thrown out as police fail to complete probe

A ROBBERY and a murder case were struck out by the Lae Committal Court on Friday because police failed to complete their investigation within a legal time frame.
In the first case, two men and a woman were freed by the Lae committal court on a K17,000 armed robbery charge at Bulolo’s Wau airstrip on April 22.
Senior magistrate Pious Tapil on Friday discharged the trio because police failed to complete its investigations.
A fourth suspect died while trying to escape from Buimo Prison.
Tapil took into account Sou Mauob, 19, from Kasangara village in Waria Local Level Government, Kedo Kelro, 32, and Bagoro Monare, 28, both from Garaina’s Kapiso village in Bulolo, time they spent in custody in prison in dismissing the case.
“It is almost five months now since you were all taken into custody and it will only be fair that your rights to justice have to be upheld,” Tapil said.
In cautioning the trio, Tapil said: “Such crime you (allegedly) committed is serious. Now that the court has struck out your case for want of police file, you should better learn from the time you have spent in custody and refrain from getting yourselves into such trouble again.
“The next time you appear in court again, there will be no second chance.”
The trio were alleged to have on April 22 at Wau airstrip used a homemade gun and bush knives to rob a man travelling into Wau from Garaina by air.
In the murder case, Danny Singit, 42, from Tewae-Siassi’s Wasu in Morobe, was alleged to have on May 11 conspired with his friends to attack and kill a man in Kapiak Street in Lae. The commotion started when Singit tried to change a K100 note to buy beer but the change was short.
Singit then kicked up a fuss with the deceased and then conspired with his friends and injured the victim who later died in Angau Hospital.