State relies on key witness in murder trial

THE Kokopo National court, East New Britain, will commence a murder trial after a prime eyewitness claimed to have been present during the murder of three men by two suspects.
Residential judge Salatiel Lenalia based his decision on evidence cited  by the state against the two.
He said there was a case for the two suspects to answer.
He said this was despite a submission by the defence for a “no case answer” on all three counts of wilful murder of the three separate victims.
It was alleged that on the July 30, 2008, the two men and the witness travelled to Takubar beach where the first accused left and returned early the next day with a home-made gun wrapped in a laplap.
Travelling in another banana boat, the witness and the accused with two other men met up with another boat at the mangrove swamp near the Tokua coastline.
There the accused shot the first two victims and another on board the other boat.
The witness claimed that he was told to keep quiet as the accused and the two other men allegedly buried the dead bodies in the swamp among the mangrove trees before making their way to the Duke of York islands to drop off the first accused and return to Takubar that same evening.
The state alleged that because they acted in concert, aided, procured and counselled each other, they were in law principal offenders.
Eleven witnesses gave evidence that were circumstantial in nature including the prime eye witness.
Counsel for the state argued that there was sufficient evidence to go past this stage of trial and though most of all the prosecution evidence was circumstantial, there was evidence from the prime eye witness and statements tendered to establish that there was a prima facie case against the two accused.