Pensioner battered to death

Luqman Cloete

POLICE at Tses yesterday arrested an 18-year-old suspect who allegedly battered a pensioner to death.

The body of 74-year-old Fritz Copper, with blood all over his face, was yesterday found near the railway line in the morning.

Police Inspector, Billy Kotungondo, yesterday said robbery was the motive behind the murder and that the deceased was struck a dozen times on the head with a stone. “Since it was pensioners’ pay day when the murder happened, we believe the suspect wanted to rob the old man of his money,” said Kotungondo.

Kotungondo said fresh footprints on the crime scene helped the police to locate and arrest the suspect.

“The footprints led the police to a house where they found the suspect in bloodstained clothes and bloodied hands,” said Kotungondo.

He said when they arrested the teenager, he admitted committing the crime claiming that pensioner attacked him first when they passed each other in the street.

According to Kotungondo, an eyewitness who was walking home together with the deceased from a drinking spot at round 22h00, told the police that the suspect grabbed the pensioner first.

The eyewitness was scared and ran away to seek help at the nearest house after the suspect had grabbed the pensioner, said Kotungondo.

He urged pensioners to avoid walking around at night so as not to become victims of attacks. luqman@namibian.com.na