Tentative trial date set for firearm case

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

A tentative trial date has been set for the case against men alleged of being in possession of firearms and threatening violence in Malaita in July last year.

Principal Magistrate Tearo Beneteti set the tentative date to February 11-15 of 2019 as she has been booked for other trial matters this year and will be unable to hear the trial on this case.

This is the case against Simon Fiusale and Iki Olomea.

She told the counsels that the tentative is set and will be confirmed later during the interim mentions.

Ms Beneteti also excused the accused appearance during the interim mentions and ordered that the two accused will appear back in court on February 6, 2019.

The two were charged together with three other accused who are currently under warrants of arrest.

They were charged for being in possession of fire-arm and threatening violence.

The three other accused men currently under warrant are Leonard Ofaka, Bredley Abarai and Jimmy Eno Bana, and they are jointly charged with other two of one count of possession of firearm and threatening violence each.

Police said that the men were drunk and threatened the employees of Dalgro Construction Company that had won the bid for bridge construction at the Tabaa Bridge in North Malaita on July 21, 2016.

It was alleged that one of the men who held the gun, which is a 303 rifle, black in colour, put in a bullet and then cocked the gun pointing it at the workers.

Police have seized the alleged weapon believed to be used by the accused.

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