TWO men who confess to breaching the curfew at 7.30pm on 9 December 2021 at the Honiara City Council (HCC) area, Honiara will be sentenced today.
The two men pleaded not guilty to the charge of restriction of movement of persons in Honiara yesterday.
In mitigation, their lawyers submitted that their clients have spent more than a month in custody and that is enough punishment for them.
Paul None of Public Solicitor’s Office said his client was selling fish at the Honiara Central Market and was on his way to catch a bus at the HCC area to get back home on that day.
He said it was while the two accused were still waiting for the bus that police approached them at 7.30pm and arrested them.
The court heard that both accused had no formal education and their lawyers submitted that given that circumstances they were not aware of the time.
“They thought they still have enough time to get home after selling fish at the market,” Mr None said.
None’s colleague George Taedi also submitted that both accused had confessed they are wrong because they did not know the time and were just waiting for bus to get home.
He further submitted that two accused’s matter should be dealt with differently to the matters of others who breached the curfew at the height of last November’s unrest and were at the location where shops and business houses were looted and burnt.
“Both accused were arrested on 9 December 2021 at a time when there were no criminal activities ongoing and they were arrested just a few minutes after the curfew.”
Principal Magistrate Felix Hollison having heard the accused’s plea, sentencing submissions and mitigation adjourned the matter for sentencing today.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Newsroom, Honiara