Others released on bail following curfew arrests
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Five individuals arrested and charged for allegedly breaching the curfew on Friday night has been remanded in custody over the weekend.
They are part of the 63 people arrested over the two nights of curfew enforced under the state of public emergency within the city’s emergency zone.
The four males and one female are each facing a charge of restriction of movement contrary to section 4 (1) (3) as read with section 12 of the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations 2020.
They were brought to the Honiara Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and were remanded in custody.
Two of them, a male and a female pleaded guilty to the offence while the other three pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The male and the female were caught a few minutes after the curfew time between 8.15pm and 8.30pm between the King Solomon hotel and Central Police Station area.
The pair will be sentenced today.
Meanwhile, submissions on a legal issue surrounding the case of the three males will also be made in court today.
Police arrested the trio who were allegedly drinking alcohol at a private home at Forest Valley in White River, West Honiara.
Another lot of 25 cases which is still with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Honiara Central Police will be soon handed over to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The 25 individuals aged between 19 and 55 were released on $1,000 bail.
They are also due in court today.
The rest of the cases are currently being dealt with by the National Criminal Investigation Department (NCID).
All accused were accused of breaching the two nights of curfew on April 10 and 11.
The first curfew was between 8pm on April 10 and 5am on April 11 and the second one between 8pm on April 11 and 5am on April 12.
Six vehicles were also detained and awaiting the court’s decision.
The emergency zone is between Poha, West of Honiara and Alligator Creek in East of Honiara.
It includes the outskirts of Honiara.
The maximum penalty of breaching the curfew is a fine of $10,000 or five years imprisonment or both.
