Accused man denies killing woman with car

A man accused of killing a Gobabis resident by hitting her with a car denied guilt on a count of murder and other charges in the High Court yesterday.

Appearing before acting judge Makapa Simasiku in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility, Denzil Dawids (25) pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and counts of reckless or negligent driving, assault and malicious damage to property.

Dawids is accused of killing a Gobabis resident, Yolande McCullum (38), by hitting her with a pickup he was driving in the Nossobville area of Gobabis on 1 October 2023.

He is also accused of reckless or negligent driving and attempting to murder two men by trying to hit them, too, with the pickup he was driving.

The state is further alleging that after the crash in which McCullum was fatally injured, Dawids assaulted two men at the scene with a sjambok or stick.

Those events took place after a fracas at a bar in another part of Gobabis, it is alleged as well.

The state is claiming that Dawids assaulted a man at the bar by slapping him, after the man had asked him to stop spinning the wheels of his vehicle at the bar.

It is also alleged that a bystander at the bar struck Dawids on the head with a bottle, whereafter the man who was slapped and his friends left the bar in a car.

Before they left the bar, though, Dawids allegedly damaged their car by hitting it with a glass bottle.

The state is further alleging that Dawids followed the men who had left the bar and drove into their vehicle at speed when he found it standing at a house at Nossobville.

In a split second before she was struck by the pickup, McCullum managed to push her son, who was one of the men that had driven from the bar, out of harm’s way, it is said in the indictment setting out the charges against Dawids.

In a plea statement read by defence lawyer Sisa Namandje after Dawids pleaded to the charges yesterday, Dawids is admitting that he was at a bar at Gobabis on 30 September 2023.

He also says that after he had been attacked and seriously injured at the bar, and had lost his wallet and cellphone, he drove his vehicle to the Nossobville area of the town.

The state’s first witness in Dawids’ trial, Caden Snyders, told the court he was at a bar at Gobabis when Dawids, whom he described as a friend, arrived there with a pickup.

Snyders said Dawids was spinning the back wheels of his vehicle outside the bar, and he then went to ask Dawids to stop doing that.

According to Snyders, Dawids reacted to his request by saying “what will you do?”, and then slapped him twice in the face.

Snyders said as he went to his car, someone else hit Dawids in the face with a bottle.

Before he and four of his friends left the bar, Dawids threw a bottle at his car, Snyders recounted.

The car was parked at a house at Nossobville and he was about to start the vehicle when he saw the lights of an approaching vehicle and his car was hit on the side, Snyders said.

He was thrown out of the car by the impact, and when he got up and walked around the car, he found McCullum lying on the ground next to the vehicle, he testified.

McCullum was taken to a hospital, and he later heard she had died, Snyders said.

The trial is continuing.

Dawids is represented by Namandje and Karel Gaeb.

State advocate Basson Lilungwe is prosecuting.

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