Simon case to finally go ahead

THE court case of former world champion boxer Harry Simon, who has been charged with culpable homicide, will get underway today, 19 months after a deadly accident in which he was involved.

The Prosecutor General has decided to continue with the prosecution of Simon in the Regional Court at Walvis Bay. According to the public prosecutor at the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court, today’s proceedings will merely refer the case to the Regional Court and set a date for the next hearing.Simon has to be present in court after he could not attend the hearing set for April.The case was postponed at the request of the boxer’s legal representative.The boxer, who sustained injuries in the crash, apparently had to be in South Africa for treatment at the time.This resulted in the case being postponed for the third time since the accident on November 21 2002 in which two adults and a baby from Belgium were killed, while two adults and two young children were seriously injured.According to new information from the results of two separate expert reports on the accident, Simon’s vehicle was believed to be travelling at between 165 and 180 km an hour at the time of the crash.This is more than twice the speed limit enforced on that section of road at the turn-off to Langstrand.According to the two experts, Simon’s four-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz ML500 was probably travelling in the lane meant for oncoming traffic [right hand lane] and appeared to be going back towards the left-hand side lane when it struck the Belgian’s Nissan Hardbody double cab 4×4.The Belgians were in the right-hand lane waiting to turn off to Langstrand.The experts reached their conclusions from analysing the damage to the two vehicles, marks left in the road after the crash, visits to the scene of the accident and from examining eyewitness statements.It is expected that the two reports will be used as evidence in the court case.* In another case involving Simon, the public prosecutor at the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court has decided not to prosecute the boxer in connection with an incident in a bar in February.Simon and the owner of a security business, William Basson, pressed charges of assault and malicious damage to property against each other after an alleged fight in a night-club at Tamariskia.Based on the Police investigation, the prosecutor has decided to prosecute Basson.Basson has to appear in court on July 22.He confirmed to The Namibian this week that he had been notified to appear in court.According to the public prosecutor at the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court, today’s proceedings will merely refer the case to the Regional Court and set a date for the next hearing.Simon has to be present in court after he could not attend the hearing set for April.The case was postponed at the request of the boxer’s legal representative.The boxer, who sustained injuries in the crash, apparently had to be in South Africa for treatment at the time.This resulted in the case being postponed for the third time since the accident on November 21 2002 in which two adults and a baby from Belgium were killed, while two adults and two young children were seriously injured.According to new information from the results of two separate expert reports on the accident, Simon’s vehicle was believed to be travelling at between 165 and 180 km an hour at the time of the crash.This is more than twice the speed limit enforced on that section of road at the turn-off to Langstrand.According to the two experts, Simon’s four-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz ML500 was probably travelling in the lane meant for oncoming traffic [right hand lane] and appeared to be going back towards the left-hand side lane when it struck the Belgian’s Nissan Hardbody double cab 4×4.The Belgians were in the right-hand lane waiting to turn off to Langstrand.The experts reached their conclusions from analysing the damage to the two vehicles, marks left in the road after the crash, visits to the scene of the accident and from examining eyewitness statements.It is expected that the two reports will be used as evidence in the court case.* In another case involving Simon, the public prosecutor at the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court has decided not to prosecute the boxer in connection with an incident in a bar in February.Simon and the owner of a security business, William Basson, pressed charges of assault and malicious damage to property against each other after an alleged fight in a night-club at Tamariskia.Based on the Police investigation, the prosecutor has decided to prosecute Basson.Basson has to appear in court on July 22.He confirmed to The Namibian this week that he had been notified to appear in court.