Judge Wounded In Mystery Attack

Papua New Guinea

Justice Barnett assault “barbaric and inhuman

By Frank Senge

PAPUA New Guinea National Court Judge Mr Tos Barnett and his wife Leela were singing in their car as they drove to their Port Moresby home on the evening of Saturday, September 10.

Moments later, their peace was shat tered brutally: as the couple stopped the car to open the gate to their home, a gang rushed them. Mrs Barnett watched, par alysed with fear and shock, as about eight men repeatedly stabbed her husband, chanting: “Kilim em i dai! kilim em i dai!” (“Kill him! Kill him!”).

Mr Justice Barnett, the Commissioner heading the controversial inquiry into PNG’s forestry industry (which recom mended criminal charges be brought against Mr Ted Diro, Member for Central Province), sustained a ruptured right lung and multiple stab wounds to his stomach and right thigh.

Mrs Barnett was luckily unhurt in the attack, which occurred between nine and ten o’clock that might. Still shocked, Mrs Barnett described the attack beside her husband’s hospital bed in Port Moresby General Hospital.

“There was a rush. The window was smashed, we both went down and glass flew at us.

“Two men were at my side. They flung open my door and tried to pull me out but he [Judge Barnett] pulled me toward him.

I screamed and I screamed and I screamed.

I just could not move: I just sat there, screamed and watched my husband being stabbed.”

Judge Barnett charged the men and broke free, but then realised that his wife was still in the car and ran back. That was when the gang began to attack in earnest one tried to run him down in a utility, but he jumped out of the way.

Neighbours rushed to the scene and scared the assailants away. Justice Barnett was in shock and suffering acute loss of blood from two stab wounds to his chest; on the way to hospital he kept telling am bulance officers to forget him and tend to his wife, who was still in their car.

Doctors could not operate on him im mediately because of the shock, but a tube was inserted into his ruptured lung to draw out fluid. Three days later. Justice Barnett was sitting up and talking. His blood pres sure and respiratory rate had returned to normal, but he was placed under heavy police and hospital security.

Police say the assault was highly incon sistent with normal gang attacks; usually,

the woman and the car would be driven off. In this case Mrs Barnett was not only unharmed, she says she had two men “standing guard” over her.

Three youths have since been arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder. They are Andrew Giroa, 19, Vin cent Girua Gupa, also 19 (both of Tapini, Central Province) and Raymond Michael Martin, 22, of Port Moresby.

Politicians and student bodies have ex pressed their shock and disgust at the at tack on Justice Barnett. Deputy Prime Minister Akoka Doi described the attack as “barbaric and inhuman”. He said the attack has was one that “brings great shame to the country. These irresponsible hoodlums are not worthy of their souls.”

Justice Minister Bernard Narakobi or dered an immediate review of all security arrangements for judges, government ministers and other constitutional office holders. Mr Narakobi has recently pro posed to send judges out to provincial bases, but the Barnett attack is likely to cause him to review the plan.

Meanwhile, Mr Barnett is already in structing his officers to continue writing up the Forestry Inquiry report, which is due to be completed this month. □

Mrs Leela Barnett watches over her husband, after he was trea teated fo r a punctured lung wounds.