An Aranos man accused of breaking into his neighbour’s house and raping her three-year-old daughter pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial in the Windhoek High Court on Monday.
Hans Dreyer faces charges of housebreaking with intent to rape and rape, with the prosecution alleging that he raped a three-year-old girl at Aranos in the Hardap region on the night of 13 April 2023.
The state is alleging that Dreyer raped the girl after he had broken into her mother’s house.
The girl’s 19-year-old sister, whose name is being withheld to protect the child, gave emotional testimony before judge Claudia Claasen on Monday.
She said on that day, her parents left her at home to take care of her two younger siblings, then aged three and five.
After a short while, she said, her two cousins came over and they went to the shops, leaving the two children alone.
“I know I left the door closed but it was unlocked. I have known the suspect since I was five years old, and we have always been neighbours. While at the shops, an uncle of mine called and said my sister was raped,” she told the court.
The witness said she immediately rushed home, where she saw blood stains on the floor.
“I assumed the blood was my little sister’s. When I got there, I already found that she had been taken away to safety. My brother was still sleeping. It was shocking because before we left, my sister was happy, she was asleep and had no marks on her body,” the young woman testified.
The trial is continuing.
Dreyer’s defence lawyer, Cliff Simataa, has indicated that he will at a later stage during the trial object to hearsay evidence.
While his client pleaded not guilty to the charges, Simataa said Dreyer will remain silent at this stage and is challenging the state to prove the allegations levelled against him.
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