Former detective goes on trial for arson

A LITTLE over three years ago, Detective Inspector Michael Booysen was still one of the top detectives in the Namibian Police; yesterday, he found himself in the dock in the Windhoek Regional Court as he went on trial on seven charges related to an incident in which his girlfriend’s flat was destroyed by fire.

Booysen has been suspended from his position as the officer second in command of the Serious Crime Unit since his arrest on August 9 2004, following a fire that lay his girlfriend’s flat at the Nurses’ Home of the Windhoek Central Hospital in ruin and threw his career off track. After a wait of more than three years, his trial finally got off to a start yesterday, when Booysen pleaded not guilty to all seven charges that he is facing before Magistrate Christie Mostert.The charges include one count of malicious damage to property, in which it is alleged he had damaged a door and window at his girlfriend’s flat on August 7 2004, a count of assault by threat, in which he is accused of having threatened to kill his girlfriend, Agnes Kooper, on August 9 2004, and a charge of housebreaking with intent to commit a crime unknown to the prosecutor, which is also alleged to have taken place at Kooper’s flat on August 9 2004.Booysen is further charged with a count of pointing a firearm at Kooper on August 9 2004, a charge of assault by threat in which it is alleged he had threatened to shoot another Police officer on the same day, a count of discharge of a firearm in a public place on the same day, and lastly a charge of arson, alternatively malicious damage to property.Kooper was the second witness that Public Prosecutor Brownwell Uirab called to the witness stand to give evidence in the State’s case after the trial had begun yesterday morning.By early yesterday afternoon, Uirab asked Magistrate Mostert to declare Kooper a hostile witness so that he could cross-examine her on what he claimed were differences between what she had told the Police when a witness statement was taken from her shortly after the incident, and the watered-down version that he claimed she was giving in court.The Magistrate eventually declared Kooper a hostile witness.She told the court that she and Booysen, who is still married but separated from his wife, have been in a relationship since 2000.A son, now five years old, was born from their relationship.”I love him very much,” she said when Uirab asked her about her feelings for Booysen.During the weekend from August 6 2004, which was a Friday, she “used various techniques” to make Booysen jealous in an effort to get him to finally leave his wife, Kooper said.She related that she first informed Booysen on the Friday that she was breaking off their relationship.When he contacted her the next day to ask if they could meet, she told him that she and her new boyfriend were having a barbecue, she added.That was also a ploy aimed at arousing jealousy in the detective, she said.After a first visit to her flat on the evening of August 7 2004, Booysen again came to the flat two days later, Kooper related.She said she had her stove on, as she wanted to boil some water while she waited for him.When he came into the flat, she saw he had a gun tucked into his belt, Kooper said.She said she saw him reaching for the gun and thought he wanted to shoot her.After a brief scuffle, she fled from the flat.”His facial expression scared me,” Kooper said, describing Booysen as looking serious and angry.She was hiding in another of the blocks of flats on the hospital grounds when she heard gunshots going off at her flat or in its vicinity, and heard people screaming that the flat was on fire, Kooper said.Because she was not there she could not say how the fire began, she said.Booysen had never pointed a firearm at her, she added in response to a question from the Magistrate.The trial continues today.Booysen, who is represented by lawyer Sisa Namandje, has been free on bail of N$10 000 since September 8 2004.After a wait of more than three years, his trial finally got off to a start yesterday, when Booysen pleaded not guilty to all seven charges that he is facing before Magistrate Christie Mostert.The charges include one count of malicious damage to property, in which it is alleged he had damaged a door and window at his girlfriend’s flat on August 7 2004, a count of assault by threat, in which he is accused of having threatened to kill his girlfriend, Agnes Kooper, on August 9 2004, and a charge of housebreaking with intent to commit a crime unknown to the prosecutor, which is also alleged to have taken place at Kooper’s flat on August 9 2004.Booysen is further charged with a count of pointing a firearm at Kooper on August 9 2004, a charge of assault by threat in which it is alleged he had threatened to shoot another Police officer on the same day, a count of discharge of a firearm in a public place on the same day, and lastly a charge of arson, alternatively malicious damage to property.Kooper was the second witness that Public Prosecutor Brownwell Uirab called to the witness stand to give evidence in the State’s case after the trial had begun yesterday morning.By early yesterday afternoon, Uirab asked Magistrate Mostert to declare Kooper a hostile witness so that he could cross-examine her on what he claimed were differences between what she had told the Police when a witness statement was taken from her shortly after the incident, and the watered-down version that he claimed she was giving in court.The Magistrate eventually declared Kooper a hostile witness.She told the court that she and Booysen, who is still married but separated from his wife, have been in a relationship since 2000.A son, now five years old, was born from their relationship.”I love him very much,” she said when Uirab asked her about her feelings for Booysen.During the weekend from August 6 2004, which was a Friday, she “used various techniques” to make Booysen jealous in an effort to get him to finally leave his wife, Kooper said.She related that she first informed Booysen on the Friday that she was breaking off their relationship.When he contacted her the next day to ask if they could meet, she told him that she and her new boyfriend were having a barbecue, she added.That was also a ploy aimed at arousing jealousy in the detective, she said.After a first visit to her flat on the evening of August 7 2004, Booysen again came to the flat two days later, Kooper related.She said she had her stove on, as she wanted to boil some water while she waited for him.When he came into the flat, she saw he had a gun tucked into his belt, Kooper said.She said she saw him reaching for the gun and thought he wanted to shoot her.After a brief scuffle, she fled from the flat.”His facial expression scared me,” Kooper said, describing Booysen as looking serious and angry.She was hiding in another of the blocks of flats on the hospital grounds when she heard gunshots going off at her flat or in its vicinity, and heard people screaming that the flat was on fire, Kooper said.Because she was not there she could not say how the fire began, she said.Booysen had never pointed a firearm at her, she added in response to a question from the Magistrate.The trial continues today.Booysen, who is represented by lawyer Sisa Namandje, has been free on bail of N$10 000 since September 8 2004.