🔴 PNG CRICKETER JAILED 3YRS FOR PUNCHING WOMAN & STEALING PHONE

Kipling Doriga, a 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter born on 18 October 1995 and of no fixed abode while in Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery following an unprovoked street attack in the early hours of 25 August 2025.

The incident unfolded just before 2.30am on Hilary Street in St Helier, as Doriga, who was in the island to represent his country in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League A, returned to his hotel accommodation after a night out.

Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood, prosecuting, told the court that the victim, a woman in her twenties who had been enjoying a night at a nearby nightclub, left the venue around 2am and began walking home alone.

She soon became aware that a man—later identified through CCTV footage and witness descriptions as Doriga—was following her from a distance, his pace quickening as she turned into the dimly lit residential stretch of Hilary Street.

Upon catching up, Doriga confronted the woman, who screamed in alarm and attempted to ward him off.

In response, he slapped her twice across the face with an open hand, the force of the blows knocking her to the ground and leaving her dazed and vulnerable.

Seizing the moment, Doriga rifled through her open handbag, which had fallen during the fall, and snatched her mobile phone before fleeing on foot towards his nearby team hotel.

The victim, whose injuries were not detailed in open court but included facial bruising and temporary disorientation, raised the alarm immediately, prompting a swift response from the States of Jersey Police.

Officers arrived within minutes and launched what Detective Sergeant Jim McGranahan of the Criminal Investigation Department later described as a “fast-paced investigation” targeting an unknown suspect who had been on the island for only a matter of days.

Leveraging hotel CCTV from the area, descriptions from the victim and passing witnesses, and a dedicated team of detectives, police traced Doriga to his accommodation by mid-morning on the same day.

The stolen phone was recovered from his room during a search, its IMEI number matching the device’s registration.

Doriga was arrested without incident and interviewed under caution, during which he admitted to the offence, citing mounting financial pressure from a £1,000 personal loan that he claimed had overwhelmed him amid his modest cricketing earnings.

The following day, 26 August, he was formally charged with robbery under the Theft (Jersey) Law 1986, an offence carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years’ custody given its aggravating elements of violence and targeting a vulnerable lone female at night.

On 27 August, Doriga appeared before Relief Magistrate Rebecca Morley-Kirk at Jersey Magistrate’s Court, where he entered an early guilty plea.

The magistrate deemed the gravity of the assault—deemed a stranger attack in a public place—too severe for summary jurisdiction, committing the case to the superior Royal Court for sentencing while remanding Doriga in custody at Les Cotils.

Bail was denied on public safety grounds, a decision upheld through subsequent applications, meaning the defendant remained detained at Her Majesty’s Prison La Moye throughout the three-month proceedings.

At the time of the offence, Doriga had already featured for Papua New Guinea in Challenge League A fixtures against Denmark and Kuwait earlier that week, contributing as a lower-order specialist and gloveman in the team’s mixed campaign.

Further matches, including a scheduled ODI against hosts Jersey on 29 August, proceeded without him, with PNG ultimately suffering a 160-run defeat in that encounter as part of their broader qualification push for the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Doriga, a right-handed batter and wicketkeeper who has represented his nation in 39 ODIs—scoring 730 runs at an average of 20—and 43 T20Is, including at the 2021 and 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, was unable to travel with the squad upon his arrest.

His international career, built on domestic stints with the Mudmen franchise and a monthly Cricket PNG salary of around £285 to support his family back home, now faces indefinite suspension pending any disciplinary review by the International Cricket Council.

Sentencing took place on 28 November before the Bailiff, Sir Robert MacRae, sitting with Jurats Christy and Dulake.

Advocate Julia-Anne Dix, defending, submitted that the robbery was a gross aberration from Doriga’s otherwise unblemished character, driven by acute shame over his debts rather than premeditated malice.

She highlighted his remorse, evidenced by the prompt guilty plea which spared the victim the ordeal of trial, and his acceptance that the incident would likely terminate his professional sporting life.

Ms Dix further noted Doriga’s “extremely basic” existence in Papua New Guinea, where he resided with extended family in Port Moresby prior to the tour, underscoring the personal devastation of the fallout.

In passing sentence, the Bailiff emphasised the court’s overriding duty to safeguard the streets of St Helier from predatory violence, particularly against women navigating the island at night.

Sir Robert described the offence as “so serious that only custody can be justified,” underscoring the deliberate pursuit, use of force to neutralise resistance, and the breach of trust inherent in an athlete’s position as a visiting representative.

A three-year custodial term was imposed, with Doriga ordered to serve the balance at HMP La Moye before deportation to Papua New Guinea upon release, barring any successful appeal.

No victim surcharge or compensation order was applied, given the recovered property and the defendant’s impecunious status.

Detective Sergeant McGranahan welcomed the outcome, crediting the multi-agency effort that mobilised additional resources in light of the allegation’s profile as a nocturnal stranger assault.

“This was a fast-paced investigation with an unknown suspect who had only been in the island a matter of days,” he stated.

“Due to the nature of the allegation, which was a stranger assault on a lone female at night, the Police dedicated a number of detectives and other assets who quickly identified Doriga, arrested him and recovered stolen property.

“We will continue to combat violence against women and girls and prioritise the safety of islanders.”

As of publication, Cricket PNG had issued no formal statement on Doriga’s conviction, though the matter falls under the ICC’s code of conduct provisions for off-field behaviour.

The Challenge League A tournament, featuring associate nations including Jersey, Denmark, Kuwait, Kenya and Qatar, continues as a pathway to ODI League 2 and potential World Cup berths, unaffected by the sidelined player’s absence.