JUSTICE FOR JANET MUNAGUN (1968 - 2000)

Barry Sangkol's heartfelt plea for justice for the brutal murder of his aunt, Janet Munagun, in the year 2000. Detailing the harrowing events leading to her death, Sangkol paints a picture of domestic abuse and a tragic loss. Despite Neville Rapila being charged with murder and initially remanded, he was later granted bail and evaded further legal consequences. Now, nearly 15 years after Janet's untimely demise, her family continues to seek justice for her and closure for her two young children left behind. The unresolved case and Neville Rapila's freedom serve as a stark reminder of the need for accountability and closure in cases of domestic violence and murder.

I WANT JUSTICE FOR MY AUNT- JANET MUNAGUN (1968 - 2000)

By Barry Sangkol, 7th February 2015

After she graduated from the College of Allied Health Science in Port Moresby, my aunt (the youngest of my mother's brothers and sisters) Janet MUNAGUN met a man and married him. The man’s name is Neville RAPILA- from Lalaura village, Central Province. Janet worked at the lab at Taurama General Hospital and Neville was a technician with Telikom.

Neville was a jealous man. He would start all sorts of baseless arguments and beat up Janet. The beating continued for a couple of years. Neville was a big man compared to my aunt Janet. He was about 185cm and roughly 100kg. Janet was about 170cm and roughly 75kg. I’m not sure if Janet ever reported any of the beatings to the Police but I know it was an ongoing problem for her.

One time she must have realized that the marriage wasn’t going to last so she took their daughter (Kilipa was about 3 years old) to Ambunti and left her in the care of my mother, who is her eldest sister and on her return trip to Port Moresby I met her at Kagamuga Airport- Hagen. I told her frankly to leave Neville RAPILA and she made a few remarks but she never said she would leave him.

After a short while, she went back to Ambunti and returned to Moresby with her daughter. Then she and Neville had a second child, a handsome boy called Mark. Sometimes jealousy in a man simply goes away after a child arrives in the family. This did not happen. Neville kept beating Janet too frequently.

One fateful night in the year 2000, Neville went to their home drunk after a night out partying with his friends. Everyone in the house were asleep. The babysitter and the children slept in one of the rooms and Janet was asleep in the master bedroom. As soon as Neville entered the house he locked the babysitter’s door from the outside.

Then Neville went to Janet, woke her up and started one of those ridiculous arguments of his. He then started beating her. Her screams woke everyone up but no one bothered to go to her rescue; not even the neighbours. The babysitter later said there was nothing she could do because her door was locked from the outside and all she could do was crying. Suddenly Janet was silent.

Neville then unlocked the babysitter’s door and she dashed over to check on Jane who was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, lifeless. She then went out of the house to find help.

By the time the ambulance arrived, Neville had wiped off all the blood and he had placed Janet on the bed. HE HAD BEATEN HER TO DEATH. At the Taurama hospital my aunt was pronounced Dead On Arrival.

The Police at Boroko later arrested Neville and charged him with murder and he was remanded at Bomana pending committal hearing. He made a bail application which was successful and he went out on a bail with conditions.

After he came out of Bomana, Neville never, ever went back to court again and the Committal Court issued a bench warrant for his arrest. The Police never bothered to look for Neville since the warrant for his arrest was issued and the case was completely forgotten- simply swept under the carpet.

Neville RAPILA is still out there somewhere in Port Moresby or so I heard. This year will be the 15th years since she was brutally murdered and her blood is still crying out for justice.

JANET MUNAGUN died at the age of 32 years- leaving behind two children. Mark was 2 years old and Kilipa was 4 years old when their mother left them.

NEVILLE RAPILA, I'M COMING TO GET YOU.