Massacre suspects allege assaults

BROTHERS Sylvester and Gavin Beukes both claimed in the High Court in Windhoek this week that Police officers severely assaulted them after their arrest on multiple murder, robbery and other charges in March 2005.

Judge President Petrus Damaseb yesterday continued to hear evidence in a trial within a trial on the admissibility of statements the two brothers are alleged to have made to Police between their arrest on March 6 2005 and their first court appearance on March 9. Their lawyer, Winnie Christians, has told the Judge President that these statements were made at a time when the brothers were severely assaulted and threatened by Police officers.With the first of the brothers, Sylvester Beukes (22), having completed his testimony in the trial within a trial on Tuesday, the second, Gavin Beukes (26), also took his place on the witness stand to testify on Tuesday and yesterday.Sylvester Beukes claimed to the Judge President that he was slapped, beaten and kicked by Police officers who arrived at his and his brother’s house at Rehoboth on the evening of March 6 2005.Eight people had been killed at farm Kareeboomvloer between Rehoboth and Kalkrand in the preceding two days.During his trial in the High Court, Beukes has admitted through defence lawyer Christians that he killed the eight people by shooting them.Beukes testified on Thursday last week and earlier this week that as a result of the beatings, his mouth was bleeding and he also sustained an injury under his right eye.A slight bruise or abrasion was visible under that eye when he and his brother made a first court appearance at Mariental on March 9 2005.Both his ears were also blue from bruising as a result of the beatings, Beukes told the court.Only once Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef had started to cross-examine him did Beukes add that he also lost consciousness for a while on the evening of March 6 2005 as a consequence of the beatings.He said after he and his brother had been taken from their house to the Rehoboth Police Station, Police officers assaulted him at the Police Station, where he then lost consciousness, he claimed.When he came to again, he found himself sitting on a couch in the lounge back at their house, he said.Whereas he had previously only told the court about having been beaten, slapped, kicked and generally treated roughly by Police officers involved in his arrest, Beukes claimed on Monday that he had also been throttled by one of the Policemen, Detective Warrant Officer Geoffrey Scott.Verhoef reacted incredulously when she heard this.Said Beukes: “Scott was strangling me.”Verhoef: “Oh, he strangled you!” Beukes: “Yes.”Verhoef: “Well, this is a new one.””Yes, he strangled me,” Beukes answered.Verhoef put it to Beukes that he had not been assaulted by Police officers as he claimed, and that the injury under his eye was in fact the result of an altercation between him and one of the victims of the massacre at Kareeboomvloer, farm owner Justus Erasmus.The doctor who performed a post mortem examination on Erasmus has testified that the area around Erasmus’s right eye was bruised.According to the doctor, the possibility could not be excluded that a physical altercation had taken place between Erasmus and his killer.According to Beukes, though, he never had a fight with Erasmus before Erasmus was killed.He and Erasmus were one or two metres away from each other, Beukes said when Verhoef questioned him on that point.That does not fit in with the medical evidence, according to which Erasmus was shot at close range, from less than a metre away, Verhoef told him.He and Erasmus had not been very close to each other, Beukes maintained.Gavin Beukes related to the Judge President that as soon as Police officers had rushed into the yard of the brothers’ house, he was slapped and handcuffed.He was again slapped when he told the Policemen that he was tired and would prefer to talk to them the next day only, he said.Later on he was beaten at the Rehoboth Police Station to such an extent that he could not remember what questions he had answered and which not, Beukes added.Gavin Beukes is set to continue giving evidence today.Their lawyer, Winnie Christians, has told the Judge President that these statements were made at a time when the brothers were severely assaulted and threatened by Police officers.With the first of the brothers, Sylvester Beukes (22), having completed his testimony in the trial within a trial on Tuesday, the second, Gavin Beukes (26), also took his place on the witness stand to testify on Tuesday and yesterday.Sylvester Beukes claimed to the Judge President that he was slapped, beaten and kicked by Police officers who arrived at his and his brother’s house at Rehoboth on the evening of March 6 2005.Eight people had been killed at farm Kareeboomvloer between Rehoboth and Kalkrand in the preceding two days.During his trial in the High Court, Beukes has admitted through defence lawyer Christians that he killed the eight people by shooting them.Beukes testified on Thursday last week and earlier this week that as a result of the beatings, his mouth was bleeding and he also sustained an injury under his right eye.A slight bruise or abrasion was visible under that eye when he and his brother made a first court appearance at Mariental on March 9 2005.Both his ears were also blue from bruising as a result of the beatings, Beukes told the court.Only once Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef had started to cross-examine him did Beukes add that he also lost consciousness for a while on the evening of March 6 2005 as a consequence of the beatings.He said after he and his brother had been taken from their house to the Rehoboth Police Station, Police officers assaulted him at the Police Station, where he then lost consciousness, he claimed.When he came to again, he found himself sitting on a couch in the lounge back at their house, he said.Whereas he had previously only told the court about having been beaten, slapped, kicked and generally treated roughly by Police officers involved in his arrest, Beukes claimed on Monday that he had also been throttled by one of the Policemen, Detective Warrant Officer Geoffrey Scott.Verhoef reacted incredulously when she heard this.Said Beukes: “Scott was strangling me.”Verhoef: “Oh, he strangled you!” Beukes: “Yes.”Verhoef: “Well, this is a new one.””Yes, he strangled me,” Beukes answered.Verhoef put it to Beukes that he had not been assaulted by Police officers as he claimed, and that the injury under his eye was in fact the result of an altercation between him and one of the victims of the massacre at Kareeboomvloer, farm owner Justus Erasmus.The doctor who performed a post mortem examination on Erasmus has testified that the area around Erasmus’s right eye was bruised.According to the doctor, the possibility could not be excluded that a physical altercation had taken place between Erasmus and his killer.According to Beukes, though, he never had a fight with Erasmus before Erasmus was killed.He and Erasmus were one or two metres away from each other, Beukes said when Verhoef questioned him on that point.That does not fit in with the medical evidence, according to which Erasmus was shot at close range, from less than a metre away, Verhoef told him.He and Erasmus had not been very close to each other, Beukes maintained.Gavin Beukes related to the Judge President that as soon as Police officers had rushed into the yard of the brothers’ house, he was slapped and handcuffed.He was again slapped when he told the Policemen that he was tired and would prefer to talk to them the next day only, he said.Later on he was beaten at the Rehoboth Police Station to such an extent that he could not remember what questions he had answered and which not, Beukes added.Gavin Beukes is set to continue giving evidence today.

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