WINDHOEK – The Windhoek Regional Court yesterday sentenced a man to an effective four years imprisonment for carrying out an attack in 2013 that left his former lover with a speech impairment.
Moses Fillipus, 40, was on trial on two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, a count of common assault and housebreaking with intent to commit a crime. The charges stem from a deadly attack on his former lover Bernadette Eises, 60, which took place on April 18, 2013.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Elina Nandago convicted Fillipus on one count of attempted murder. Fillipus was acquitted on the other five charges.
Yesterday, Magistrate Nandago sentenced Fillipus to 10 years imprisonment of which six years were suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted on a charge of attempted murder during the suspension period.
It is alleged that on the date in question, Fillipus went to Eises’ home in Katutura to request money. Since Eises could not give him money it angered Fillipus, according to Eises’ testimony during the trial.
The mother of two informed the court that since she could not give Fillipus money, he started to assault her. Eises recalls Fillipus picking up a pickaxe handle and hitting her with it. Fillipus continued hitting Eises with the pickaxe handle on the head until she fell to the floor.
During her testimony, Eises revealed that she had to pretend to have lost consciousness with hopes that Fillipus would stop but to no avail.
“He continued to beat me on the head until my older son and my neighbour came to stop him,” narrated Eises.
After the attack, Eises spent two months in hospital, including one month in the intensive care unit (ICU). According to Eises’ medical reports, she now suffers from severe apraxia of speech which is accompanied by non-verbal oral apraxia, a disorder she attained as a result of head injuries she suffered.
The former couple was allegedly in a tumultuous three-year relationship. It is alleged that Fillipus was a violent and abusive partner.
Fillipus denied guilt when he took a no guilty plea to all charges at the start of his trial on April 18, 2018. In his defence, he said he never intended harming Eises. Fillipus was re-arrested in October 2013 after six months on the run after he escaped from custody on April 2013. Fillipus has been in custody since 2013.