Woman committed to stand trial

A-46-YEAR-OLD woman has been committed to stand trial in the Waigani National Court on charges of arson and cyber harassment after sufficient evidence was found against her.
Waigani Committal Court Magistrate Tracy Ganaii ruled on the two charges separately before committing Eunice Kaskas, from Gotomi in Lufa, Eastern Highlands.
On the arson charge, Kaskas was alleged to have set on fire a semi-permanent kunai house, the property of her former husband Daniel Kombuk.
It was alleged that after their divorce (2006), Kaskas went to Kombuk’s semi-permanent home in Eastern Highland and set alight the house valued at K70,000.
“You raised issues about your marital issues, your relationship issues with Kombuk,” Ganaii said. “In my view those are matters for mitigation.
“What the court is interested in is to find sufficiency of evidence on the element of charge and that has been made out in all the evidence that I’ve considered.”
On the cyber harassment charge, Kaskas was alleged to have used Facebook to post on the PNG Team Bryan Kramer page on Nov 10, last year at the Boroko Police Station around 9am.
Kaskas alleged that she was the legal wife of Kombuk and posted defamatory and malicious material against him.
Kombuk then filed a complaint that the alleged posts had defamed his reputation as a senior public servant.
The court was told that the post was allegedly made (by Kaskas) so that she could seek legal advice.
“Although, according to you, it may be a genuine post and you’re seeking help, it exposed the complainant’s life,” Ganaii said.
“It’s a question of intention when you posted it and that’s a question for the trial court to assess.
“For now, the court finds that there’s prima facie evidence on the elements of charge. Those comments were meant to harass him on a public domain.
“The court is satisfied on prima facie evidence that there is enough evidence by way of exhibits, the posts themselves, witness statements, your answers, under the circumstances of the case of which your relationship with Kombuk.”
The matter returns for ruling on Kaskas’ Section 96 statement after she submitted it after the ruling.