RUTH KAMWIA WINDHOEK man accused of having tried to murder a neighbour by shooting an arrow at him has claimed during a bail hearing that he knew nothing about the incident that has landed him in police custody.
Amupanda Patrick ‘David’ Awala (33) testified in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura, where his bail hearing continued on Friday, that his neighbour Tangeni Andreas (32) and a brother of Andreas, together with a third man, assaulted him on 22 December last year, leaving him with head and neck injuries and a dislocated arm.
Awala, who told the court he owned a bar in the Havana area of Katutura, said the next day there was a fight between Andreas and a boy who claimed that Andreas had taken a cap from him and was refusing to return it. He said some patrons at his bar got caught up in the fight, and mentioned that Andreas could have been struck by anyone who had been throwing stones and bottles during that fracas.
Awala denied owning a bow and arrow alleged to have been used to shoot Andreas, adding that he knew a person named Robert who possessed a traditional bow and arrow at that time.
Cross-examining Awala on Friday, public prosecutor Arrie Husselmann told him that the police collected statements from seven witnesses who claimed to have seen him shooting an arrow at Andreas. Awala stuck to his denial, though, and repeatedly said he knew nothing about the shooting that left Andreas seriously injured.
The arrow shot at Andreas struck him in his pelvic area and damaged his intestines. He spent about a month in a Windhoek hospital before he was discharged.
Relatives of Andreas on Friday also staged a demonstration at the court to voice their opposition to Awala’s release on bail.
Awala has had several previous brushes with the law, having been arrested and charged with crimes like shoplifting, bribery and housebreaking, Husselmann informed the court during his cross-examination.
The bail hearing is due to continue on 15 February.
Defence lawyer Mbanga Siyomunji is representing Awala.
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