WINDHOEK – “It is submitted that the accused is a dangerous person with an uncontrollable appetite for violence who deserves to be put away for a considerable time”.
With these words State Advocate, Erich Moyo, asked Judge Nate Ndauendapo to sentence Jakobus Jossop who was convicted of the murder of his two uncles in 2009 to 35 years each for the murders.
Moyo told the judge that Jossop is not a candidate for rehabilitation as he has shown a propensity towards violence.
Just a few weeks after being released on bail, Jossop attacked and threatened three people that were supposed to testify against him, the prosecutor told the court.
He told the court that Jossop is a person given to going to extremes if things do not go his way and is “thus not fit to be kept out of custody even for his own sake”.
He further told the court that the Jossop’s offerings of apologies are merely lip-service as it came from his lawyer and not from him.
While Jossop’s lawyer, Eva Shifotoka, told the court that her client is apologetic, sorry and willing to change, it did not come from his own mouth and carries little weight, Moyo said.
Moyo emphasised that there is no evidence that he apologised to the people who deserved it most, the family of the people he killed in cold blood.
According to Moyo, the accused does not deserve mercy as he did not show any mercy to his victims whom he violently and shamelessly murdered, one after the other.
Moyo further asked for another ten years for the attempted murder conviction and 12 months for each of the three assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm convictions.
He told the judge that he has no problem if part of the first murder sentence is ordered to run concurrently with the second murder sentence.
For her part Shifotoka submitted that Jossop was a youthful first offender at the age of 21 who supported his mother.
She asked the court to sentence Jossop to 20 years for each of the murder convictions, 10 years for the attempted murder, two years each for the assault GBH and five years for the defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
She also asked the court to order some of the sentences to run concurrently.
Jossop was convicted of two murders and various attempted murders and assaults, malicious damage to property and defeating or attempting to defeat the course of justice on Friday last week.
Jossop was charged with killing Isak Shikongo and Johannes Matroos just minutes apart on January 23, 2009 at Farm Klein Wortel in the Karasburg district.
He was further accused of assaulting Gregorius Morongwe Brunzel by hitting him with his head the same evening and that he broke a radio and set a duvet, mattress and clothing belonging to his aunt Johanna and Matroos on fire.
He was further charged with attempted murder in that he allegedly stabbed Richelin Snewe and Indira Bloodstaan and that he hit Belinda Guriras on the head with a bottle on December 21, 2011 in Keetmanshoop with the intention to kill them.
The defeating of justice charge stems from the stabbing of Snewe as the latter is a witness in the murder trial according to the indictment.