Five murder suspects’ court info amended over defects

By JIMMY KALEBE
FIVE men charged with a murder had their old information amended in a court in Lae as the old information was found to have had defective wording of the charge and sections of the criminal code that they had been charge under.
Hawks Mapi Matne, 46 and Roy Hawks, 23 both from Zakopep, Billy Bewatine, 44 and Inane Bulet, 24, both from Zankoa village and Yawing Mulubang, 21, from Ririvo in Tewai-Siassi, Morobe, appeared for their second mention yesterday.
It was presented before Committal Court Magistrate Otto Avorosi that the old charge fell under Section 299 of the PNG Criminal Code Act.
Magistrate Avorosi was told in court that the new information that was laid in court yesterday under Section 299 (1) of the PNG Criminal Code Act in conjunction to Section 7 (1) (a) (b) (c).
Police alleged that the defendants on April 24 at Nanda and Nunzeng village in Sialum, Tewai-Siassi, were armed with weapons.
During that time, Bewantine allegedly loaded a group of men from Zakupep, Zankoa, Ririvo, Gerup and some from Nanda villages on his vehicle and went to Nanda village.
The court heard that those villages had allegedly been in conflict with Nanda since Nov 8, 2023, till April 21, 2024, and had seen homes and property burnt and ransacked.
The court was also informed that a group of men from Karako helped Nanda villagers and on April 25, retaliated and confronted villagers gathered at Matne’s residence and a fight broke out.
It was there that the court was told that the five defendants and their supporters chased Karako and Nanda villagers towards Sialum Station.
An accomplice, Ruben Sougan, who is still at large, allegedly swung his bush knife at the deceased’s leg, causing him to fall where he was slashed fatally in the neck.
Police told the court that according to eyewitnesses, defendant Bewantine aided the group by taking them in his vehicle to the scene of the fighting which had led to the loss of lives – among those killed were two women along with five men.
The court also noted that there were other killings reported during the fighting.
The defendants were arrested by police and brought to Lae on May 16 this year and charged before appearing in court.
They will appear for their next mention on Aug 8.