Keetmans cops in court again

By: LUQMAN CLOETE

NINE members of the Police's Serious Crime Unit and Special Branch at Keetmanshoop on Friday made their fourth appearance in the Keetmanshoop Magistrate's Court on a charge of murder.

They are Cyroll Serogwe, Daniel Nicodemus, Marthinus Punye,

Johannes Mushelenga, Heidi Dean, Niklaas !Hoeseb, Fabian Rikambura

and unit commanders Johannes Otto and Lazarus !Nowaseb.

Magistrate IIleni Gebhardt postponed the case until October 27

for further Police investigation.

 

Percy McNally of Lentin, Botma and Van den Heever Legal

Practitioners is representing all nine Policemen.

 

Bail of N$1 500 granted to each of the nine officers during

their first appearance in April was extended.

 

The nine are accused of beating to death a suspect, Makarius

Iikali, while they were interrogating him at the end of

February.

 

Iikali was one of five men arrested on charges of theft and

housebreaking for allegedly stealing vault keys belonging to the

local Standard Bank branch.

 

After Iikali's death, the charges against the other theft

suspects were dropped.

 

The suspects claimed that they had been beaten repeatedly and

shocked with an electric device during the interrogation.

 

Another of the suspects, Benjamin Basson, jumped from the first

floor of the Police station during the interrogation, but survived

the fall

 

Magistrate IIleni Gebhardt postponed the case until October 27 for

further Police investigation.Percy McNally of Lentin, Botma and Van

den Heever Legal Practitioners is representing all nine

Policemen.Bail of N$1 500 granted to each of the nine officers

during their first appearance in April was extended.The nine are

accused of beating to death a suspect, Makarius Iikali, while they

were interrogating him at the end of February.Iikali was one of

five men arrested on charges of theft and housebreaking for

allegedly stealing vault keys belonging to the local Standard Bank

branch.After Iikali's death, the charges against the other theft

suspects were dropped.The suspects claimed that they had been

beaten repeatedly and shocked with an electric device during the

interrogation.Another of the suspects, Benjamin Basson, jumped from

the first floor of the Police station during the interrogation, but

survived the fall

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