BY ROMINAH FAKA
Trial against two men accused of murdering a police officer at the Dragon Pub in Honiara earlier this year is expected to be heard on September 2.
In the previous hearing Paul Daoburi and James Solomon Kai pleaded not guilty to the murder charge against them.
The lawyer for Mr Daoburi elected long form of Preliminary Inquiry (PI) to be conducted, the lawyer for Mr Kai is yet to elect which form of PI for his client.
Court than suspend for Monday next week for prosecution to prepare the committal deposition for long form of PI elected by Daoburi’s lawyer. Remand for both accused was extended.
Allegations said the deceased and his colleague along with the colleague’s wife, had gone to the Dragon Pub on the night of May 16 for drinks.
Sometime between 12am and 1am an argument broke out between the deceased and a group of men following an assault on his colleague’s wife in which a bottle was allegedly smashed against her head causing her to fall to the ground unconscious.
It was alleged that during the course of argument the deceased took out and applied a pepper spray on the group of men he was arguing with.
The deceased was later dragged out of the Pub by an off-duty security, accused Daoburi, where the deceased was attacked by a group of more than 10 men outside the Pub.
The allegation further said Daoburi joined in the attack, using a snooker cue stick with which he used to beat the deceased’s head multiple times.
The second accused Solomon Kai with nick name Solo allegedly attacked the deceased using a bottle.
A policeman who arrived at the scene intervened and took the deceased laying bleeding on the floor into a taxi to National Referral Hospital (NRH) where he pronounced dead.
Paul Fanasia appears for Crown and Daniel Kwalai for Daoburi and Ferial Taki of HOF Law Chambers represent Kai.
