Cops torture trial to return to court in March 2010

THE trial of nine Police officers who are being prosecuted over the death of a theft suspect in Police custody at Keetmanshoop in early 2006 is set to continue only in March next year.

Four weeks of court proceedings in the trial of the nine members of the Namibian Police facing a charge of murder in connection with the death of theft suspect Makarius Iikali at Keetmanshoop on January 30 2006, came to a close before Judge Sylvester Mainga in the High Court in Windhoek on Thursday last week.The trial of the nine officers – Nicklaus Haoseb (33), Johannes Mushellenga (47), Hettie Willemiena Dean (29), Martinus Nuyoma Pontu (32), Jacobus Otto (44), Ciryll Ristin Serogwe (31), Daniel Nicodemus (36), Lazarus Tutu Nowaseb (38) and Fabianus Antonius Rikambura (26) – started on June 11 when all eight of them pleaded not guilty to the seven charges they are facing.The charges consist of a count of murder in connection with the death of Iikali (35), five counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm in connection with assaults that are alleged to have been carried out on Iikali and four other suspects who were questioned at Keetmanshoop Police Station between January 28 and 30 2006, and a last count of defeating or obstructing the course of justice, or attempting to do so.The prosecution is charging that, while investigating a complaint over the theft of keys belonging to Standard Bank Namibia at Keetmanshoop, the charged Police officers took part in assaults on Iikali and other suspects who were being interrogated in an office of the Serious Crime Unit at Keetmanshoop Police Station.Since the start of the trial, State advocate Ruben Shileka has presented testimony from 33 prosecution witnesses to Judge Mainga. By the time that the trial was postponed last week, the prosecution’s case had not been closed yet.One of the witnesses whose testimony has been heard so far is Cuban medical doctor Gonzalo Gonzalez, who took part in an autopsy on Iikali’s body in Windhoek on February 6 2006.Dr Gonzalez told the court that signs that Iikali had been beaten or otherwise assaulted were found on his body. These indications came from bleeding found inside Iikali’s skull on the left side of his head, bleeding inside his neck, again on the left side of that part of the body, and also bleeding around the area of his left kidney and around his ribs.According to Dr Gonzalez, Iikali died due to a lack of oxygen. He said the direct cause of this asphyxia was due to the blood that was found in Iikali’s neck. This, in turn, was the result of some external force that was applied to Iikali’s neck, he explained.’Violence was used in this case, it is not a natural death,’ the doctor told the Judge.The prosecution is charging that during the interrogation Iikali was hit and kicked over his body, that the officers involved in questioning him stepped onto his neck, threw a tyre onto him and smothered him with a plastic bag, and that he was shocked with an electric device.The nine accused suspects, who are being represented by defence lawyer Sisa Namandje, are remaining free on bail until their trial continues from March 8 to 31 2010.