Key record heist suspect denies guilt

AN alleged key suspect who late last year became the sixth man to be arrested in connection with Namibia’s largest ever armed robbery pleaded not guilty in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

A simple plea of not guilty, with nothing revealed about the basis of his defence, was all that robbery suspect Jason Awene (40) conveyed to Magistrate Helvi Shilemba after Public Prosecutor Amizé Adams put a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstance to him. Awene, also known as Kilingi, appeared before Magistrate Shilemba under heavy Police guard.Before entering court, and again after he left, his hands were cuffed behind his back, and he was escorted by a group of armed Police officers.Awene and the five men who were by his side in the dock yesterday are accused of robbing a Fidelity Service Group employee at gunpoint of N$5,76 million in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek on December 29 2004.It is claimed that the alleged heist took place after a supposed hitchhiker who had been picked up by the driver of a Fidelity cash-in-transit vehicle produced a pistol and then forced the vehicle off the road.In the process the hiker allegedly also struck Stefan Iyambo, a security guard who was in the vehicle, and sprayed him with pepper spray.The money that was allegedly looted after the vehicle had been brought to a standstill is the largest single amount of cash yet to have been stolen in an armed robbery in Namibia.The Police claim to have since recovered some N$3,3 million of the stolen money.Awene is alleged to have been the supposed hiker who set the claimed robbery in motion.The driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle, Jan Johannes Julius (35), is now the first accused.Julius and four co-accused – George Jambeinge, Elikana Nghimwena, Matheus Hauwanga and Benedictus Kasimbingwe – all pleaded not guilty on June 10 2005.At that stage, the Police had not yet arrested Awene, who was suspected to have left Namibia on the way to South Africa early in January 2005.Awene was eventually arrested in the Mafeking area in South Africa’s Northwest Province on October 3, and was extradited to Namibia on November 30.Yesterday was his second appearance in court in connection with alleged heist of December 29 2004.After Awene had pleaded not guilty, his lawyer, Edwin Coetzee, told Magistrate Shilemba that Awene was denying all elements of the charge, that the onus was on the State to prove the charge, and that he would not disclose the basis of his defence at this stage.The six suspects are scheduled to return to court on July 5.Prosecutor Adams asked the Magistrate to postpone their case so that the Prosecutor General can decide what course the prosecution against the six will take.Awene is the only one of the suspects to remain in Police custody.Each of the other five has been granted bail of N$10 000.Awene, also known as Kilingi, appeared before Magistrate Shilemba under heavy Police guard.Before entering court, and again after he left, his hands were cuffed behind his back, and he was escorted by a group of armed Police officers.Awene and the five men who were by his side in the dock yesterday are accused of robbing a Fidelity Service Group employee at gunpoint of N$5,76 million in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek on December 29 2004.It is claimed that the alleged heist took place after a supposed hitchhiker who had been picked up by the driver of a Fidelity cash-in-transit vehicle produced a pistol and then forced the vehicle off the road.In the process the hiker allegedly also struck Stefan Iyambo, a security guard who was in the vehicle, and sprayed him with pepper spray.The money that was allegedly looted after the vehicle had been brought to a standstill is the largest single amount of cash yet to have been stolen in an armed robbery in Namibia.The Police claim to have since recovered some N$3,3 million of the stolen money.Awene is alleged to have been the supposed hiker who set the claimed robbery in motion.The driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle, Jan Johannes Julius (35), is now the first accused.Julius and four co-accused – George Jambeinge, Elikana Nghimwena, Matheus Hauwanga and Benedictus Kasimbingwe – all pleaded not guilty on June 10 2005. At that stage, the Police had not yet arrested Awene, who was suspected to have left Namibia on the way to South Africa early in January 2005.Awene was eventually arrested in the Mafeking area in South Africa’s Northwest Province on October 3, and was extradited to Namibia on November 30.Yesterday was his second appearance in court in connection with alleged heist of December 29 2004.After Awene had pleaded not guilty, his lawyer, Edwin Coetzee, told Magistrate Shilemba that Awene was denying all elements of the charge, that the onus was on the State to prove the charge, and that he would not disclose the basis of his defence at this stage.The six suspects are scheduled to return to court on July 5.Prosecutor Adams asked the Magistrate to postpone their case so that the Prosecutor General can decide what course the prosecution against the six will take.Awene is the only one of the suspects to remain in Police custody.Each of the other five has been granted bail of N$10 000.