ourtSENTENCE for the man who admitted to injuring his wife’s head after cutting her hair extensions with a knife on New Year’s Day will be delivered on March 11.
The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of Causing Grievous Harm when he appeared in the Honiara Magistrate Court yesterday.
This followed the sentencing submissions and mitigation, where both the prosecution and the defence counsel relied on in their written submissions.
In their submissions, the prosecution requested a custodial sentence, emphasising the aggravating factors whilst the defence highlighted the circumstances surrounding the offence.
The agreed facts revealed that the incident occurred on January 1 this year, when the couple returned home in West Honiara after attending a New Year’s celebration at the Cow Boys Grill beside the Pacific Crown Hotel.
After arriving home, they had refreshment and went to rest in their bedroom. There in the bedroom, the wife asked the defendant to buy her a bottle of water from a late-night shop and he went.
However, when he returned, the defendant began questioning his wife as to her whereabouts at the Cow Boys Grill
At the Cow Boy’s Grill at around 2am, the victim had gone missing and so the defendant searched for her inside the club and outside in the carpark, but could not find her.
When he went to the carpark later, he saw his wife standing beside a car driven by her ex-boyfriend.
When he asked his wife what she was doing there, she told him that she had asked her ex-boyfriend to drop her off home, but he could not as someone was inside the vehicle.
Then defendant and the victim went back into Cow Boys Grill and at 3am and thereafter returned home.
It was at home that the defendant started questioning the victim about why she was missing for two hours and where she had gone, but she did not answer.
This made the defendant angry and grabbed her dress when she tried to escape and pulled her hair extensions.
Then he took hold of a pocket knife and cut the hair extensions, causing her head to bleed. The defendant stopped what he did when he saw the bleeding.
The victim fled to the White River Police Station, where she received assistance and was rushed to the National Referral Hospital for urgent medical treatment.
She was admitted immediately due to the severity of her injuries.
Roria Sikua of Public Solicitor’s Office represented the defendant, whilst Public Prosecutor Monica Rehomora appeared for the Crown.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
