15 years for manslaughter in Lae

A man from Kasanobe village in Nawaeb, Morobe Province, has been sentenced to 15 years in Buimo jail with hard labour for manslaughter.

The Lae National Court sentenced Hanson Yatzat after he admitted to stabbing Moses David in the chest on 3 March 2017, which resulted in his death.

The incident took place at the Madang block in Poaba in Lae between 6 and 7pm.

Yatzat was at a black market that evening when the deceased, who was under the influence of alcohol, approached him, hugged him and asked for a cigarette.

Annoyed with him, he pushed the deceased away after he asked for a cigarette.

The second attempt by the deceased saw an angry Yatzat pulling out his pocket knife where he stabbed David in his chest.

He escaped from the scene after eyewitnesses chased him. The deceased was rushed to the hospital by security guards of the UNITECH campus.

He died from the injuries and loss of blood.

Yatzat spent 10 months and 3 weeks in custody awaiting trial. That period is suspended from the head sentence. He will serve a remaining 14 years, 1 month and 1 week at Buimo. 

Author: 
Sally Pokiton