Teek gets new trial date

A NEW trial date has been set for former Supreme Court Judge Pio Teek, who is facing charges that he had abducted and sexually molested two young girls in the Windhoek area a year ago.

Teek (58) is now scheduled to go on trial in the High Court on April 24, High Court Judge Louis Muller was informed during another pre-trial appearance by the former Supreme Court Judge of Appeal in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday. Teek’s trial had initially been set to start on October 17 last year.A South African judge had already been appointed as an Acting Judge of Namibia’s High Court to preside at the trial when a complaint from Teek’s defence counsel, Richard Metcalfe, that all evidence in the case had not been disclosed to the defence, scuttled the start of the trial.All the problems regarding the disclosure of evidence to the defence have now been resolved, Deputy Prosecutor General Heidi Jacobs, who is set to conduct the prosecution against Teek, told Judge Muller yesterday.She added that a date for the trial had now been fixed.It is set to start on April 24, and to run until April 28.Louis du Pisani, a partner of Metcalfe in the law firm Metcalfe Legal Practitioners, confirmed to the Judge that the case was now ready to go on trial.Teek remains free on bail of N$10 000.He was arrested on January 31 last year after charges that he had abducted and sexually abused two girls, aged ten and nine, were laid with the Police.Metcalfe has already indicated that Teek will strongly deny all the charges at his trial.It is alleged that he picked up the two children in Katutura on the evening of January 28 last year and then drove with them to the smallholding in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek where he stays.On the way to the plot and after their arrival there, it is further alleged, he sexually fondled the girls.He is also accused of having given alcoholic drinks to them at the plot.Teek is set to face eight charges at the trial.These include two counts of abduction, alternatively kidnapping, two charges of rape and two counts of committing or attempting to commit an immoral or indecent act with a child under sixteen.The yet unproven charges against Teek have already destroyed his judicial career.He was suspended from his post as Supreme Court Judge of Appeal a little over a week after his arrest.By late April last year, the Judicial Service Commission charged him with gross misconduct.The investigation of that charge was still pending when Teek opted in mid-October last year to retire from his judicial post.Teek’s trial had initially been set to start on October 17 last year.A South African judge had already been appointed as an Acting Judge of Namibia’s High Court to preside at the trial when a complaint from Teek’s defence counsel, Richard Metcalfe, that all evidence in the case had not been disclosed to the defence, scuttled the start of the trial.All the problems regarding the disclosure of evidence to the defence have now been resolved, Deputy Prosecutor General Heidi Jacobs, who is set to conduct the prosecution against Teek, told Judge Muller yesterday.She added that a date for the trial had now been fixed.It is set to start on April 24, and to run until April 28.Louis du Pisani, a partner of Metcalfe in the law firm Metcalfe Legal Practitioners, confirmed to the Judge that the case was now ready to go on trial. Teek remains free on bail of N$10 000.He was arrested on January 31 last year after charges that he had abducted and sexually abused two girls, aged ten and nine, were laid with the Police.Metcalfe has already indicated that Teek will strongly deny all the charges at his trial.It is alleged that he picked up the two children in Katutura on the evening of January 28 last year and then drove with them to the smallholding in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek where he stays.On the way to the plot and after their arrival there, it is further alleged, he sexually fondled the girls.He is also accused of having given alcoholic drinks to them at the plot.Teek is set to face eight charges at the trial.These include two counts of abduction, alternatively kidnapping, two charges of rape and two counts of committing or attempting to commit an immoral or indecent act with a child under sixteen.The yet unproven charges against Teek have already destroyed his judicial career.He was suspended from his post as Supreme Court Judge of Appeal a little over a week after his arrest.By late April last year, the Judicial Service Commission charged him with gross misconduct.The investigation of that charge was still pending when Teek opted in mid-October last year to retire from his judicial post.