By James Guken
The Waigani Supreme Court has rejected Richard Namaliu’s application to reduce his 15- year prison sentence on three grounds that it was too harsh.
Namaliu, 32, was convicted of manslaughter in 2022, for causing the death of his partner and former Miss PNG, Ruby Anne Laufa, in February 2017.
He was alleged to have driven to Miss Laufa’s home at Fort Benner, in the University of Papua New Guinea staff residential area, and picked her up around 10 am, allegedly drunk.
Today, he appealed for a reduction in his 15-year sentence.
The Supreme Court reviewed the case, focusing on the argument of premeditation where the appellant claimed that the judge wrongly considered his actions as premeditated.
However, the court clarified that while the death was not planned, there was an intent to arm the deceased.
The appellant also claimed that the judge made an error in sentencing by not accepting certain mitigation factors or the probation report.
The court stated that it found no error in the judge’s reasoning and agreed that the 15-year sentence was not excessive given the circumstances.
The court also reviewed other similar manslaughter cases and concluded that a 15-year sentence fell within an acceptable range.
In the end, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal and upheld the 15-year sentence, emphasizing that any homicide case should be taken seriously, as life is valuable, and the consequences for the victim’s family are devastating.
