A GERMAN man who has been detained in Windhoek on charges of rape and attempted murder since the beginning of August told a Magistrate during a bail hearing this week that the woman who laid the charges against him has offered to withdraw the case if she was paid for it.
Karl-Heinz Knierim (42) has been kept in custody since being arrested on August 1 on charges of rape and attempted murder. On Tuesday, following four and a half months in Police and prison cells, Knierim launched a bail application in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura.Knierim is accused of attacking a 29-year-old woman in Otjomuise in Windhoek on the evening of July 31.It is claimed that he tried to strangle her and that he raped her before leaving the scene of the alleged attack.No such incident ever took place, Knierim insisted on Tuesday when he testified before Magistrate Nomsa Sibanda in support of his request to be released on bail.In fact, said Knierim, he was the one who had come under attack on the evening of the incident, and who had to fight off his attackers – including the woman now accusing him of having raped her – when two unknown men and the women set upon him and robbed him of his cellphone and wallet.Knierim told the Magistrate that he had been drinking at a bar and shebeens in Otjomuise, where he lives with his Namibian wife, on the evening of the incident.During the evening, the woman who later laid the charges against him came up to him and asked him to buy her a beer, Knierim said.She also touched him all over and kissed him, and eventually asked him to give her a lift home, he said.They finally rode off on Knierim’s motorcycle, even though they were both quite drunk, Knierim said.Up to now he cannot say who this woman was, because he did not know her and they were both inebriated that evening, Knierim told the Magistrate.He related that while riding with the woman on his bike – supposedly on the way to her home – she suggested to him that they should first stop and drink one more beer that he had with him.Having stopped, Knierim said, he sat down on a curb stone and soon dozed off.He said he was awoken by the sound of voices, and then saw two unknown men coming from a bush, throwing stones at each other and talking very loudly.The two men then attacked him and stole his wallet and cellphone, Knierim said.He thought they were going to kill him, and he fought back, and then the woman joined in the attack on him, Knierim said.He eventually managed to beat them off, and returned home to sleep, he said.The next morning he first returned to the scene of the attack and later went to the Police to report the incident and lay a charge, Knierim related.He however found himself being questioned and ultimately arrested, he said.A month and a half earlier, the discovery of dismembered human remains next to the B1 and B6 roads to the north, south and east of Windhoek had set off an intense Police investigation and still continuing search for a killer suspected of murdering women and cutting up their bodies before discarding their remains.Having gone to the Police with the intention of laying a charge, Knierim found himself under suspicion instead, and had to field questions about whether he was cutting up people, Knierim told the Magistrate.He said his interrogators showed him photographs of women whose heads and hands and feet had been cut off.For three days, he said, the Police suddenly thought he was “the butcher of Namibia”.The Police went as far as going to his wife and announcing to her that he was “the butcher of Namibia”, Knierim said.When he landed in prison, he added, he was cruelly beaten up by other prisoners who had also heard that he was supposed to be “the butcher”.While in prison, he received word from a Sergeant who told him that the woman who had laid the charge against him had told the Sergeant that Knierim was actually innocent and that it was her boyfriend and a friend of his who had attacked Knierim on the evening of July 31, Knierim told the Magistrate.She also told the Sergeant, who lives in the same area as Knierim and his wife, that if Knierim paid her an amount of money she would withdraw the charges against him, Knierim said he was told.Knierim said he had lived in Namibia since December 2003.His wife gave birth to their second child about two weeks ago.She is not working, and he needs to get bail in order to assist and support her, he said.Under cross-examination from Public Prosecutor Roxzaan Witbooi, Knierim denied that he has any criminal matters pending against him in Germany.He had faced charges in Germany years ago – for robbery, drunken driving and sexual abuse, he mentioned – but these were all finalised, he said.According to Witbooi, though, the State has received information that Knierim is still wanted in Germany to serve a sentence he received in that country.Knierim still denied that he had any unresolved legal business in his home country.The bail application had been set to continue yesterday with evidence to be given by Knierim’s wife, but she was not able to make it to court as planned.The bail hearing is scheduled to continue today.On Tuesday, following four and a half months in Police and prison cells, Knierim launched a bail application in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura.Knierim is accused of attacking a 29-year-old woman in Otjomuise in Windhoek on the evening of July 31.It is claimed that he tried to strangle her and that he raped her before leaving the scene of the alleged attack.No such incident ever took place, Knierim insisted on Tuesday when he testified before Magistrate Nomsa Sibanda in support of his request to be released on bail.In fact, said Knierim, he was the one who had come under attack on the evening of the incident, and who had to fight off his attackers – including the woman now accusing him of having raped her – when two unknown men and the women set upon him and robbed him of his cellphone and wallet.Knierim told the Magistrate that he had been drinking at a bar and shebeens in Otjomuise, where he lives with his Namibian wife, on the evening of the incident.During the evening, the woman who later laid the charges against him came up to him and asked him to buy her a beer, Knierim said.She also touched him all over and kissed him, and eventually asked him to give her a lift home, he said.They finally rode off on Knierim’s motorcycle, even though they were both quite drunk, Knierim said.Up to now he cannot say who this woman was, because he did not know her and they were both inebriated that evening, Knierim told the Magistrate.He related that while riding with the woman on his bike – supposedly on the way to her home – she suggested to him that they should first stop and drink one more beer that he had with him.Having stopped, Knierim said, he sat down on a curb stone and soon dozed off.He said he was awoken by the sound of voices, and then saw two unknown men coming from a bush, throwing stones at each other and talking very loudly.The two men then attacked him and stole his wallet and cellphone, Knierim said.He thought they were going to kill him, and he fought back, and then the woman joined in the attack on him, Knierim said.He eventually managed to beat them off, and returned home to sleep, he said.The next morning he first returned to the scene of the attack and later went to the Police to report the incident and lay a charge, Knierim related.He however found himself being questioned and ultimately arrested, he said.A month and a half earlier, the discovery of dismembered human remains next to the B1 and B6 roads to the north, south and east of Windhoek had set off an intense Police investigation and still continuing search for a killer suspected of murdering women and cutting up their bodies before discarding their remains.Having gone to the Police with the intention of laying a charge, Knierim found himself under suspicion instead, and had to field questions about whether he was cutting up people, Knierim told the Magistrate.He said his interrogators showed him photographs of women whose heads and hands and feet had b
een cut off.For three days, he said, the Police suddenly thought he was “the butcher of Namibia”.The Police went as far as going to his wife and announcing to her that he was “the butcher of Namibia”, Knierim said.When he landed in prison, he added, he was cruelly beaten up by other prisoners who had also heard that he was supposed to be “the butcher”.While in prison, he received word from a Sergeant who told him that the woman who had laid the charge against him had told the Sergeant that Knierim was actually innocent and that it was her boyfriend and a friend of his who had attacked Knierim on the evening of July 31, Knierim told the Magistrate.She also told the Sergeant, who lives in the same area as Knierim and his wife, that if Knierim paid her an amount of money she would withdraw the charges against him, Knierim said he was told.Knierim said he had lived in Namibia since December 2003.His wife gave birth to their second child about two weeks ago.She is not working, and he needs to get bail in order to assist and support her, he said.Under cross-examination from Public Prosecutor Roxzaan Witbooi, Knierim denied that he has any criminal matters pending against him in Germany.He had faced charges in Germany years ago – for robbery, drunken driving and sexual abuse, he mentioned – but these were all finalised, he said.According to Witbooi, though, the State has received information that Knierim is still wanted in Germany to serve a sentence he received in that country.Knierim still denied that he had any unresolved legal business in his home country.The bail application had been set to continue yesterday with evidence to be given by Knierim’s wife, but she was not able to make it to court as planned.The bail hearing is scheduled to continue today.
