Alcohol no excuse for crime, CJ convicts soldier for killing man in drunken brawl
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
Alcohol no excuse for crime, CJ convicts soldier for killing man in drunken brawl
PORT MORESBY: Influence of alcohol is no excuse to commit crime,
Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika says.
Sir Gibbs made the remarks in the National Court in
Waigani on Thursday (Jan 13, 2022) when convicting Papua New Guinea (PNG) Defence
Force soldier Andrew Bai for murdering a man in the Air Transport Squadron army
barracks in Port Moresby in 2019.
Sentencing is fixed for Jan 27, 2022.
Details of the court proceedings were published by The National:
Soldier
convicted of killing man in 2019 during drunken brawl
January 14, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
By BEVERLY PETER
INFLUENCE of alcohol is no excuse to commit crime, Chief Justice Sir Gibbs
Salika says.
Sir Gibbs made the remarks in the National Court in Waigani yesterday when
convicting PNG Defence Force soldier Andrew Bai for murdering a man in the Air
Transport Squadron army barracks in Port Moresby in 2019.
“From all the evidence before the court, there is no doubt Bai had intended to
cause grievous bodily harm and killed Robert Gai,” he added.
Sir Gibbs said the knife wounds and the swelling on Gai’s head were inflicted
by Bai.There is no contradictory evidence that another person assaulted Gai
with a bush knife and timber,” he said.
“Bai’s identity was not an issue.
“All the state witnesses in their statements identified Bai and said he was
using a timber and bush knife in the fight.”
The court heard that about 1.30am on Sept16, 2019, Bai was drinking with some
of his friends in the barracks compound.
Gai was also among them.
Bai, in one of their conversations, started complaining and argued with Gai
which started a fight between them.
Bai then ran into the barracks and came out with three of his friends armed
with timber planks and bush knives.
They chased Gai to the market.
Bai caught up with Gai and hit him several times on the head with a timber
plank that had a nail in it, and the bush knife.
Gai was admitted at the Port Moresby General Hospital. But he later died on Oct
17, 2019 from the head injuries.
The case returns to court on Jan 27 for sentencing.
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