Outjo Police arson suspects want bail

WINDHOEK – Two men accused of destroying dozens of Police dockets in an alleged arson attack on an office at the Outjo Police Station in August this year are to lodge formal bail applications in the Outjo Magistrate’s Court next Monday.

Louis Steenkamp, 34, and Dawid Schrader, 34, reappeared before Magistrate FK Mundia yesterday on charges of housebreaking, arson, defeating the ends of justice and bribery. Their case was postponed until December 4 for their formal bail applications to be heard.Police earlier reported that Steenkamp used to live on a farm, Saalburg, close to Outjo, while Schrader lives at Outjo.About 64 out of the 130 Police dockets in the office were destroyed in the fire.The remaining dockets were damaged, either by the fire itself, or by water used to extinguish the flames.The two men were arrested after footprints were found outside a window of the office where the fire broke out.Police officers had an initial suspicion about who might have been responsible for the incident, and they then proceeded to farm Saalburg, some 22 kilometres out of Outjo, where they allegedly found a similar footprint at an entrance gate.It is suspected that Steenkamp was trying to hinder the investigation of a case in which he is accused of sexually molesting a child.The docket containing the results of the Police investigation of the alleged child molestation case was one of those destroyed in the fire.Steenkamp was released on bail a few days before the arson incident.Steenkamp also faces a bribery charge for allegedly offering an Outjo Police officer N$10 000 to destroy the docket.NampaTheir case was postponed until December 4 for their formal bail applications to be heard.Police earlier reported that Steenkamp used to live on a farm, Saalburg, close to Outjo, while Schrader lives at Outjo.About 64 out of the 130 Police dockets in the office were destroyed in the fire.The remaining dockets were damaged, either by the fire itself, or by water used to extinguish the flames.The two men were arrested after footprints were found outside a window of the office where the fire broke out.Police officers had an initial suspicion about who might have been responsible for the incident, and they then proceeded to farm Saalburg, some 22 kilometres out of Outjo, where they allegedly found a similar footprint at an entrance gate.It is suspected that Steenkamp was trying to hinder the investigation of a case in which he is accused of sexually molesting a child.The docket containing the results of the Police investigation of the alleged child molestation case was one of those destroyed in the fire.Steenkamp was released on bail a few days before the arson incident.Steenkamp also faces a bribery charge for allegedly offering an Outjo Police officer N$10 000 to destroy the docket.Nampa