Maximum 30yrs jail for killing girlfriend
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Maximum 30yrs jail for killing girlfriend
PORT MORESBY: Justice
Frazer Pitpit says taking the life of another person prematurely is devaluing
life to an animal or insect.
He then slapped a hefty
maximum jail sentence of 30 years on Lukas Marti, 29, for killing his
girlfriend in 2016.
The court proceedings and sentencing were reported by The National:
Girlfriend-killer
jailed 30 years
December 7, 2021The
NationalMain Stories
By JIMMY KALEBE
JUSTICE Frazer Pitpit says taking the life of another person prematurely
is devaluing life to an animal or insect.
He then slapped a hefty maximum jail sentence of 30 years on Lukas Martin, 29,
for killing his girlfriend in 2016.
Describing the case as unfortunate with the life of a young woman being taken
away prematurely, Justice Pitpit noted that Martin had throughout the hearing
maintained innocence.
“But you are found guilty based on the medical and autopsy report,” he told
Martin who was from Huon Gulf’s Nasuwapum village in Morobe.
The autopsy report stated that Martin’s girlfriend died from a blunt force on
her neck, that there was sexual confrontation and that her uterus was sticking
out at her vagina’s opening when her naked body was found.
The doctor also ruled out any suggestion of the girlfriend’s death due to
accidental causes.
Justice Pitpit said the maximum penalty for such an offence was life
imprisonment but he placed Martin on second degree murder which the Supreme
Court deemed a jail term of between 20 and 30 years as appropriate.
Martin on May 24, 2016, in his Nasuwapum village got into an argument with his
girlfriend after he was lied to by her family that she was not in the previous
night.
While under the influence of alcohol, he took his girlfriend to the Markham
River bank in the village.
Martin and his girlfriend then engaged in a heated quarrel and he used blunt force,
fatally fracturing her neck.
When alerted later, the girlfriend’s family rushed to the river bank and found
Martin trying to flee across the river.
The body of Martin’s girlfriend was found naked floating downstream two days
later.
Justice Pitpit ordered the pre-custodial period of five years, seven months and
two weeks to be deducted and Martin to serve the balance of 24 years, five
months and two weeks with hard labour in Buimo Prison.
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