Justice Panuel Mogish

The country’s criminal track administrator judge, Justice Panuel Mogish, told UPNG law students today that despite Waigani having the biggest jurisdiction and number of people at Bomana, everyone is kept at bay.

He attributed this to the good working relationship between the courts at Waigani, in managing the detainee’s cases, and those at Bomana.

Compared to the other prisons around the country, he said the situation at Bomana is contained with prisoners doing outreach programs.

Justice Panuel Mogish issued the stern warning at the Waigani National Court when sentencing a 19-year-old to 12 years in prison.

“You can come to court and say sorry and offer to pay compensation, but that will not bring his life back. He’s gone, finished!” he said.

“This is a case where the offender should be imprisoned. He has robbed the life of another young man, and I do not think it would do justice to the deceased if I were to impose a generous sentence.

Justice Panuel Mogish found Gibbson Maraen guilty for brutally chopping Wari Kuni on his face and head on 10 December 2015, which resulted in his death.

The two were among a group of men who consumed alcohol that day when a fight broke out at 3pm. He went home soon after.

At around 6pm, he left the house and attacked Kuni with an axe. The deceased tried to tackle Maraen but slipped and fell in the process.

Maraen swung the axe at the deceased, cutting him on the right side of his face, right side ear and the left side of his face on the fourth occasion.

Western Highlands man Joshua Kraip was sentenced to two years in jail on Thursday after he was found guilty for unlawfully using a stolen motor vehicle that he was supposed to impound at the Gordon Police Station on March 10, 2016.

His jail term was suspended by the court and he was instead placed on two years of good behaviour bond and ordered to pay K2000 compensation to the owner of the vehicle.

The vehicle, belonging to Camilus Narokobi, was stolen from his wife on Feb 16 last year at East Boroko.

Compensation on the other hand, defeats the purpose of criminal law.

This message was echoed by the National Court on Friday by Justice Panuel Mogish when giving his penalty sentence to a 25 year old man who viciously attacked another man using a bush knife.

Ageru Lea, from the Abau District, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Willie Sioro that left him with permanent injuries.

Lea attacked Sioro on March 3, 2015, cutting him twice on his left forearm and his right foot.

Speaking during the opening of the Central Province circuit legal year on Tuesday, the judge explained that it is a very expensive exercise to conduct National Court circuits.

Despite National Court circuits being an expensive exercise, Justice Mogish said it must be done for justice to be seen in the rural areas.

It costs K300,000 to conduct one circuit, which is a duration of 10 days.

In a year, there are three National Court circuits where court parties go out to the provinces that don’t have a resident judge. 

Some of the areas in the province were known for addressing law and order issues, he said during the opening of the Central Court circuit today.

Areas like Magarida in the Abau district; Sogeri as well as Tapini in Goilala are some areas that have contributed to that colourful history.

He said in the colonial days, Magarida was used as an area where trouble makers were hung as punishment for their wrongdoing.

Sir Hubert Murray, who was a judge and Lieutenant-Governor of Papua from 1908, resided at Sogeri and travelled into the city to conduct cases.

Olivia Warome and husband Kume Keware appeared before Justice Panuel Mogish on Thursday.

They told the court in the afternoon court session that they were informed of the bench warrants that was issued against them by relatives who read their bench warrant story on the Loop PNG site.

Justice Panuel Mogish commended the media for its role which saw the two accuseds appear in court today.  

Danny Keko from Mehenav village pleaded guilty to killing his wife, Ekim Danny on April 4, 2015 at the Garden Hills market in Port Moresby.

The incident took place around 7:30pm after a scuffle took place between the couple. Keko then removed a kitchen knife from his wife’s billum and stabbed her in the back as was trying to run away from him. She later died from her stab wounds.

The argument arose over an affair after the woman returned to her husband in 2015.

Lolo Bellamy (26) of Baidoka village, Bulubulu district in the Milne bay Province, Dobai Haro (29) and Douba Kapina (32), both from of Morea village, Ihu district in the Gulf Province were convicted on July 8, 2016 on four counts of aggravated rape.

 Justice Panuel Mogish at the Waigani National Court sentenced the trio to 26 years in prison each for what he described as the worst ever rape incident where the men who were known to the victim acted in a breach of trust.