Car park murder suspect gets bail

A YOUNG Windhoek resident accused of kicking a good friend to death after the two spent an evening drinking at a restaurant was released on N$7 000 bail last week.

Jan Adriaan Jacobus (‘Riaan’) Swanepoel (25) was arrested on February 22 after a friend of his, Riaan van der Walt (33), died in a parking area next to the Baines shopping centre in Pionierspark, allegedly from injuries sustained when Swanepoel assaulted him by kicking him repeatedly in the head. The incident took place after the two men had reportedly whiled away the evening drinking at a restaurant in the centre.It has been reported that they ran up a bar bill of about N$400, with much of that spent on tequila.Swanepoel made an unscheduled second appearance before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court last Monday.When he made his first appearance in court – on February 26 – his case was postponed to March 16 for further investigation.With the appearance on Monday, Public Prosecutor Amizé Adams informed Magistrate Shilemba that the State no longer objected to bail being granted to Swanepoel, as long as a set of conditions were attached.The Magistrate was told that the State and defence lawyer Evert Gous, who represented Swanepoel, had agreed that he could be granted N$5 000 bail.The Magistrate however said that because it appeared that Swanepoel’s case was serious, as it concerned a charge of murder, she had decided to increase the bail to N$7 000.She further ordered Swanepoel to report to the Police Station in Bahnhof Street each afternoon from Monday to Friday, not to apply for any new travel documents to replace his expired passport, not to leave the Windhoek district without permission from the investigating officer, and not to interfere with the Police’s investigation or with State witnesses.Swanepoel has to appear in court again on May 29.The incident took place after the two men had reportedly whiled away the evening drinking at a restaurant in the centre.It has been reported that they ran up a bar bill of about N$400, with much of that spent on tequila.Swanepoel made an unscheduled second appearance before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court last Monday.When he made his first appearance in court – on February 26 – his case was postponed to March 16 for further investigation.With the appearance on Monday, Public Prosecutor Amizé Adams informed Magistrate Shilemba that the State no longer objected to bail being granted to Swanepoel, as long as a set of conditions were attached.The Magistrate was told that the State and defence lawyer Evert Gous, who represented Swanepoel, had agreed that he could be granted N$5 000 bail.The Magistrate however said that because it appeared that Swanepoel’s case was serious, as it concerned a charge of murder, she had decided to increase the bail to N$7 000.She further ordered Swanepoel to report to the Police Station in Bahnhof Street each afternoon from Monday to Friday, not to apply for any new travel documents to replace his expired passport, not to leave the Windhoek district without permission from the investigating officer, and not to interfere with the Police’s investigation or with State witnesses.Swanepoel has to appear in court again on May 29.