A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, by the Waigani National Court, for murdering his wife outside a club in Port Moresby on Dec 11, 2014.
Paul Wailapu of the Wosera-Gawi District in East Sepik Province was sentenced to 20 years in jail by the court today.
Justice Panuel Mogish, in sentencing Wailapu, told him in court that his actions have brought a lifetime of grief to his own children by killing their mother.
He said it is a pity that his family will suffer, especially when they had nothing to do with the offense he committed.
Whilst the court appreciated the suffering his incarceration would bring to his surviving children, Justice Mogish said Wailapu’s case is one where custodial sentence was most appropriate.
Wailapu was found guilty by the court for killing his wife outside the Chilly Pepper club at Gordon’s after an argument.
It was found he punched and kicked the deceased while wearing police-issued boots, causing her to fall unconscious onto the pavement. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Medical reports before the court showed her death was caused by a blunt trauma to the head.
The maximum penalty for murder is life imprisonment; however the court took into consideration his background as a long-time police officer and also his family background.
Wailapu will serve a balance of 18 years and three months at Bomana. He spent 1 year, 9 months, in remand while his case was before the court.