Robert@PNG

I witnessed an example this afternoon at the Hospital.

A girl was caught stealing (very unfortunate for her) some clothes and a bilum from another woman.

Well!

Did she cop it! And not just from the “steelee”. She copped it from the left, from the right and at all angles. She copped it with punches to the head, slaps and beltings with a fan belt. She copped it from the women, the blokes and anyone else that could get a fist in.

Apparently its the third time she was caught red handed and the “mob” wasn’t going to let her get away with nix. They wanted her blood!

“Paitim em” they yelled!

“Killim em” they yelled!

Here’s a photo of the girl getting carted of by security before copping another hiding before getting whisked of to the cop shop…

And that’s how justice works around these parts… instantly at times.

Personally, I don’t have an issue with this approach in dealing out punishment - when one is caught red handed. The only thing is that I thought she had sopped enough and I actually stopped a bloke from beating her with a fan belt. The bloke had nothing to do with the situation - just an onlooker that had joined in for some “fun”.

Justice… OK.

But enough is enough!

Shortly afterwards I followed the “mob” to the security house and made sure that she was ushered without any further damage into a waiting vehicle. Unfortunately, the girl is likely to cop bashing part 2 down at the cop shop on top of what she received at the Hospital.

And whilst I don’t condone the stealing I certainly don’t support the mob justice in this instance - especially when there’s people joining in purely to release their own anger and frustration on to someone that has done them personally no harm.

I bit risque to stop an angry mobber? Perhaps. But nothing like standing up for what one believes to be right.

There’s another couple snaps which you can check out in the Goroka General Hospital photo album.

Kets!