Vipers four appear in court

 FOUR Port Moresby Vipers rugby league players were arrested on Monday in Kokopo, East New Britain, for alcohol offences and threatening the referee in the game against the Rabaul Gurias on Sunday. 

Provincial police commander, Anthony Wagambie Jnr said the incident occurred at about 9am yesterday at a shopping centre in Kokopo town.

The players and an official were allegedly under the influence of alcohol when they came across the referee who controlled their game at Kalabond Oval on Sunday and began threatening him.

Wagambie said they tried to attack him but the referee escaped towards the Kokopo Police 

Station.

He said according to police reports and a statement by the complainant, when the suspects saw him heading in that direction, they sped up in an attempt to stop him from going to the police station.

“A woman sitting on the side of the road saw what was happening and called out to duty police officers who came out of the station to see what was going on,” he said.

The referee managed to make his way to the safety of the police station, while the vehicle carrying the suspects was stopped by police and all four suspects immediately arrested.

He said there were three players and a team official.

Wagambie said of the four, two were serving policemen in the National Capital District.

“They were charged with threatening, drinking in a moving vehicle and other alcohol-related offences,” he said.

They appeared in the Kokopo district court yesterday for mention.

Wagambie praised his members for their quick response in dealing the situation.

He appealed to other sporting codes and especially the intercity teams that they must not take what happened on the field out onto the streets and there were proper avenues to sort out their grievances.

“With the Inter City rugby league teams and players, they attract a lot of followers and fans, especially young children and must conduct themselves in a professional manner when they are in public,” Wagambie said.

The four are assistant coach Paul Komboi, Peter Paulus, who are both policemen in Port Moresby; Michael Mark and Tobi Kopi.

The Vipers lost to the Gurias 28-8 in a Digicel Cup qualifying final on Sunday in Kokopo.

They now face Enga Mioks in a do-or-die playoff in Port Moresby on Sunday.