Maria Amakali
Windhoek-Benjamin Strong, 56, boyfriend to the woman found dead with multiple stab wounds last year in a house in Otjomuise in Windhoek, was denied bail in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court, Katutura.
The court concluded that the state had proven that there is a strong prima facie case against Strong. Strong was arrested in September last year for the death of his girlfriend of three years Johanna Resandt, 62, on September 17, 2017. Resandt was found dead in a house in Otjomuise in Windhoek with multiple stab wounds all over her body.
Strong applied for bail with the hope that being a first-time offender, a father of three and a Namibian citizen the court would release him on bail while he awaits trial.
Handing down judgement the magistrate Cosmos Endjala said that Strong faces a serous crime of murder read with provisions of the Domestic Violence Act. Furthermore, it would not be in the interest of the administration of justice to release Strong on bail. “The factor cannot be isolated from the fact of the seriousness of the case and the fact if convicted the accused is likely to be sentenced to a long period of imprisonment,” stated Endjala.
During the bail application it was revealed that on the night of the incident Strong allegedly started an altercation with Resandt, which ended in him assaulting and stabbing her 12 times with a knife. According to a state witness, he saw Strong stabbing Resandt with a knife but in an attempt to stop him he too was stabbed. The witness said he became unconscious after Strong pushed him.
The undisputed evidence before court contained in the post-mortem report indicate “twelve stab wounds were observed on the corpse including four penetrating the left pleural cavity” as cause of death.
Strong, who is accused of having been a violent partner, has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he found his girlfriend dead upon his return home in the morning.
Having been denied bail, Strong was remanded in custody until his next appearance on March 15.