NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-07-23Reho shooting accused granted bail
Werner Menges
A REHOBOTH resident who is charged with murder after a shooting incident in which one of his neighbours was killed was granted bail following an appeal hearing in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.
After spending four months in custody, Mike Nanuseb (33) was granted bail in an amount of N$10 000, with several conditions attached to his release.
Judge Nate Ndauendapo granted Nanuseb bail after hearing arguments on an appeal by Nanuseb against an earlier ruling in which his application to be released on bail had been refused in the Rehoboth Magistrate’s Court.
The judge ordered that Nanuseb should, once he has been released on bail, report to the Windhoek Police Station once every day, that he has to surrender his passport or any other travel documents to the police, and that he has to stay at an address in Windhoek, where his fiancée is staying.
Nanuseb was living at Rehoboth, where he is employed with the Namibia Water Corporation, when the shooting incident which led to his arrest took place during the night of 21 to 22 March. It is alleged that an argument about loud music escalated into a physical clash between Nanuseb and his neighbours, and culminated in the shooting that left one of his neighbours dead and another seriously injured.
Nanuseb is charged with counts of murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm without a licence, and negligent discharge of a firearm.
A mother of two children, Marion Jansen (31), died when she was shot in the head at Nanuseb’s house in the early morning hours of 22 March. Her husband, Willie Jansen, was seriously injured when he was shot in the chest.
During the hearing of his bail application in the Rehoboth Magistrate’s Court, Nanuseb claimed Mrs Jansen was shot accidentally when he was trying to defend himself from an axe attack by her husband.
The same shot that he fired at Mr Jansen in an attempt to stop an attack on himself, also wounded his fiancée, whose one hand was struck by a bullet, and claimed Mrs Jansen’s life, Nanuseb indicated to the magistrate during his bail hearing.
He claimed he was at home on the evening of 21 March when Mr Jansen started to throw stones and bottles onto the roof of his house.
A while later, he saw Mr Jansen jumping over the fence into his yard. Jansen was armed with an axe, Nanuseb claimed.
Nanuseb said Jansen went to remove a computer memory stick from his car’s audio system, and then threatened that he would kill him (Nanuseb).
Jansen also took a swing at him with his axe, but he ducked and Jansen missed his target, Nanuseb claimed.
He related that a friend of his came out of the house and tried to shield him from Jansen, who was making threats that he was going to chop them with the axe. His friend, public prosecutor Anthony Wilson, had a firearm with him, and he fired a couple of warning shots into the air in an attempt to scare off Jansen, Nanuseb said.
He testified that he and Wilson retreated into the house. Outside, Jansen was on a rampage, attacking the chairs where they had been sitting with his axe and still making death threats against them, Nanuseb claimed.
Mrs Jansen then also appeared in the yard, and she attacked his fiancée, punching her, he said.
Nanuseb said he took the firearm from Wilson and went back outside, where he fired two warning shots into the air. Mr Jansen however again approached him with the axe, and as he again tried to retreat into the house, with Jansen in close pursuit, he fired a shot at Jansen in an attempt to stop him, he claimed.
That was the shot that struck Mr Jansen in the chest, wounded his fiancée, and killed Mrs Jansen, Nanuseb claimed.
A police officer who also testified at Nanuseb’s bail hearing told the magistrate that according to evidence gathered by the police the incident was sparked when Nanuseb failed to heed requests to turn down the volume of loud music which he was playing from his car in his yard. The police officer also indicated that there was a dispute whether Mr Jansen was still armed with the axe when he was shot.
Nanuseb was represented by defence lawyer Orben Sibeya during his bail hearing and in the appeal. State advocate Ethel Ndlovu represented the prosecution yesterday.
After spending four months in custody, Mike Nanuseb (33) was granted bail in an amount of N$10 000, with several conditions attached to his release.
Judge Nate Ndauendapo granted Nanuseb bail after hearing arguments on an appeal by Nanuseb against an earlier ruling in which his application to be released on bail had been refused in the Rehoboth Magistrate’s Court.
The judge ordered that Nanuseb should, once he has been released on bail, report to the Windhoek Police Station once every day, that he has to surrender his passport or any other travel documents to the police, and that he has to stay at an address in Windhoek, where his fiancée is staying.
Nanuseb was living at Rehoboth, where he is employed with the Namibia Water Corporation, when the shooting incident which led to his arrest took place during the night of 21 to 22 March. It is alleged that an argument about loud music escalated into a physical clash between Nanuseb and his neighbours, and culminated in the shooting that left one of his neighbours dead and another seriously injured.
Nanuseb is charged with counts of murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm without a licence, and negligent discharge of a firearm.
A mother of two children, Marion Jansen (31), died when she was shot in the head at Nanuseb’s house in the early morning hours of 22 March. Her husband, Willie Jansen, was seriously injured when he was shot in the chest.
During the hearing of his bail application in the Rehoboth Magistrate’s Court, Nanuseb claimed Mrs Jansen was shot accidentally when he was trying to defend himself from an axe attack by her husband.
The same shot that he fired at Mr Jansen in an attempt to stop an attack on himself, also wounded his fiancée, whose one hand was struck by a bullet, and claimed Mrs Jansen’s life, Nanuseb indicated to the magistrate during his bail hearing.
He claimed he was at home on the evening of 21 March when Mr Jansen started to throw stones and bottles onto the roof of his house.
A while later, he saw Mr Jansen jumping over the fence into his yard. Jansen was armed with an axe, Nanuseb claimed.
Nanuseb said Jansen went to remove a computer memory stick from his car’s audio system, and then threatened that he would kill him (Nanuseb).
Jansen also took a swing at him with his axe, but he ducked and Jansen missed his target, Nanuseb claimed.
He related that a friend of his came out of the house and tried to shield him from Jansen, who was making threats that he was going to chop them with the axe. His friend, public prosecutor Anthony Wilson, had a firearm with him, and he fired a couple of warning shots into the air in an attempt to scare off Jansen, Nanuseb said.
He testified that he and Wilson retreated into the house. Outside, Jansen was on a rampage, attacking the chairs where they had been sitting with his axe and still making death threats against them, Nanuseb claimed.
Mrs Jansen then also appeared in the yard, and she attacked his fiancée, punching her, he said.
Nanuseb said he took the firearm from Wilson and went back outside, where he fired two warning shots into the air. Mr Jansen however again approached him with the axe, and as he again tried to retreat into the house, with Jansen in close pursuit, he fired a shot at Jansen in an attempt to stop him, he claimed.
That was the shot that struck Mr Jansen in the chest, wounded his fiancée, and killed Mrs Jansen, Nanuseb claimed.
A police officer who also testified at Nanuseb’s bail hearing told the magistrate that according to evidence gathered by the police the incident was sparked when Nanuseb failed to heed requests to turn down the volume of loud music which he was playing from his car in his yard. The police officer also indicated that there was a dispute whether Mr Jansen was still armed with the axe when he was shot.
Nanuseb was represented by defence lawyer Orben Sibeya during his bail hearing and in the appeal. State advocate Ethel Ndlovu represented the prosecution yesterday.
