5 Years for Police Attacker
A22-year-old man, who was born in prison, will spend five years in jail after he was convicted of attacking Police officers at the Delainavesi Community Police
Post.
Samuela Bokadi was sentenced by High Court judge Justice Daniel Goundar yesterday.
He was convicted of six counts for attempted act with intent to cause grievous harm, four counts of resisting arrest and one count of damaging property.
Justice Goundar said the accused’s disadvantaged background may have led him to commit the offences and his actions may have been impulsive rather than premeditated.
Fortunately, no one was physically injured by the accused’s actions.
The court heard that he grew up in an unstable environment and was raised by his older siblings when his parents went in and out of prison.
He also had an abusive relationship with his father and was exposed to drugs and alcohol at a very young age. Justice Goundar gave him some credit in sentence for his disadvantaged background, young age and early guilty plea for the charge of damaging property.
He will serve three years of his sentence before he can be eligible for parole.
The incident
Bokadi was in a live-in relationship with his girlfriend and lived in a separate house next to his parents’ home.
On the morning of July 24, 2018, he had an argument with his girlfriend over him staying away from home during a weekend.
Out of concern, Bokadi’s father, told the girlfriend to go to the Police Post and take refuge there.
Shortly after the victim went to the Police Post, the accused’s father followed her and was speaking with a female officer when the accused approached them holding two cane knives.
Bokadi tried to enter the Police post but his father stopped him after which the Police officer warned him not to enter, but the accused became aggressive and threatened her.
She called for backup, but her call was not answered and while reaching out for help to members of the public on the highway, the accused struck her legs with the cane knife. She managed to dodge the knife and run to safety and by that time three Police officers arrived after seeing the commotion from the highway.
Attack on Police
When they told the accused to put down his weapon and surrender, he ran after them with the knives and hurled threats that he would kill them.
The Police officers had to withdraw to avoid being harmed. The accused made several attempts to enter the Police post knowing his girlfriend was hiding inside, but his father obstructed him.
In rage he struck the Police post several times causing extensive damage amounting to $587.56.
Eventually a backup Police team arrived and the accused turned to them as well striking one of them with the cane knife, but the officer dodged and fell off the tray of the vehicle.
It was when the officers armed themselves with rocks and approached the accused then he dropped his knives and surrendered.
He was arrested and escorted to the Lami Police Station accordingly.