Windhoek High Court Judge Dinnah Usiku on Monday granted a resident of the Kanaan location in Gobabis the opportunity to be mentally assessed after he was convicted on multiple charges of rape and housebreaking.
His current legal aid lawyer, who only came on board after his conviction, Eliaser Shikwa, told the judge that Richard Kennedy Haoseb was only diagnosed with a mental defect after his arrest and incarceration. According to Shikwa, his client has been hearing voices and seeing people holding guns and knives since he was seven years old. He was never examined during his childhood and puberty years and only received a mental examination upon his arrest and consequent incarceration in September 2024. Shikwa told the judge that he only picked up on Haoseb’s mental issues during their consultations on mitigation. That was when he came across the medical passport of Haoseb, which described his mental sickness in detail, Shikwa told the court.
State Advocate Palmer Khumalo told the court he has no objection to the application and said that the court has the discretion to direct whether it will be a full 30-day observation, an enquiry into mental health by a psychiatrist or by a panel. Judge Usiku then ordered that Haoseb must be seen by a psychiatrist in the employment of the State, and a report on his mental health must be submitted to the court within 30 days. She subsequently postponed the matter to 1 July for the report.
Haoseb pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and two counts of housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery at the start of the trial. He also denied four counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and one count of kidnapping.
According to the State, he broke into the shack of his first two victims in December 2015 while they were sleeping and held them at knifepoint, demanding valuables. After the women gave him their cell phones and cash, he proceeded to rape each of them. However, the third woman, who was also in the shack, escaped being raped by her very advanced pregnancy. He, however, allegedly also robbed her of her cell phone and cash.
Furthermore, the indictment stated Haoseb, in December 2017, again entered the shack of another two women at the Herero Block in Gobabis and threatened the inhabitants with a knife, demanding their valuables.
After the victims, who may not be named to protect their identities, gave him their cellphones, cash and other valuables, he raped them each at knifepoint, the indictment read. It further states that after he raped the two ladies, he waylaid a young girl and instructed her at knifepoint to go with him against her will to another shack where he raped her and kept her, depriving her of her liberty. He denied any knowledge of these offences.
He was, however, convicted on all charges on 28 March this year. Haoseb remains in custody.