A man from Lake Kopiago area of Hela province will stand trial at the Waignai National Court after sufficient evidence was found that he caused serious injuries to his uncle’s testicles during a fight.
Thomas Warepa was committed by the Waigani District Court today by Magistrate Cosmas Bidar to answer to the charge of causing grievous bodily harm to Kelo Kewaki, his own uncle at Erima.
The ruling was done after he told the court that he had difficulty engaging a lawyer to defend him or write a statement in court to respond to the police investigation files.
However, the court relied on police investigation files, the complainant’s statements including photographic evidence of the injuries to make its ruling.
He will appear again at the Waigani National Court for listing on Oct 24.
The court heard that on June 25, Warepa returned home after having a few drinks with his friends and went straight to sleep in a room next to a baby who was also asleep in the room.
An angry mother who found him sleeping next to her child told Kewaki to get the drunk Warepa out of the room.
Attempts by Kewaki to wake Warepa were unsuccessful which resulted in him pulling Warepa by the legs out the room.
It was there that Warepa woke up and grabbed Kewaki by his testicles.
Magistrate Bidar said he grabbed and pulled Kewaki’s testicles off and he fell unconscious.
They were later sewn back at the hospital.
“You caused serious injuries to him,” Bidar told Warepa.
Warepa told the court that K14, 000 compensation was already given to his uncle while he was in custody at Bomana.
But he could not provide any evidence of such payment.
Magistrate Bidar in adjourning Warepa’s case told him to file a statement to show evidence of the K14,000 compensation to Kewaki.