State asks for life sentence

By BEVERLY PETER
THE State has asked the court to sentence a policeman to life for shooting and killing a man during a raid on betel nut sellers in Port Moresby four years ago.
State lawyer Solomon Kuku appearing before Judge Panuel Mogish at the National Court in Bomana on Friday submitted that Andrew Kupuso, 27, of Wosera-Gawi’s Chambri Lake in East Sepik should serve a life sentence for his actions in killing a 62-year-old man. “This case involves the killing of an elderly man who was unarmed.
“Life is a gift from the creator and no one has the right to take life,” Kuku said.
It was before the court that Kupuso had a prior conviction for manslaughter.
He was found guilty by Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika and jailed to 10 years on April 12, 2022 over another killing.
In this current case, Kupuso was charged with wilful murder and found guilty of the charge.
On June 6, 2020, Kupuso and his colleagues were at the Rainbow betel nut market where they had chased vendors and broken up the market.
At that time, Kupuso was attached with Fox Unit 204 of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary in Port Moresby.
He and other policemen drove their vehicle onto the footpath where vendors were selling betel nut and this caused them to flee.
The deceased Ronald Kolip, who was not a seller, and had walked away from the scene to the bus stop.
Kupuso then pulled out a pistol from his waist bag and shot him.
Kolip fell to the ground and was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Kupuso’s lawyer Bernard Popeou from the Public Solicitors office asked the court to sentence him to 15 to 20 years.
Popeou said this was because the shooting was not wilful murder.
Mogish reserved his ruling to this week.