The father accused of killing his younger son with the help of his son described the deceased as a serious troublemaker during his testimony in the Windhoek High Court yesterday before Judge Philanda Christiaan.

Borris le Roux (60) and Hendrik le Roux (28) are accused of murdering Carlos le Roux at their residence in Takarania in Mariental. 

The father and son have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. 

Their Legal Aid lawyer Peru Liebenberg confirmed the pleas and told Judge Christiaan that they will remain silent and leave it to the State to prove each allegation. 

During their appearance at the Mariental Magistrate Court, they said they acted in self-defence. 

They claimed the deceased, an addict, came home the night before the incident and allegedly became violent towards his father and brother, leading them to beat him in self-defence. 

Borris told the court that the deceased would destroy everything they built and became very aggressive when denied money for drugs. 

“He would break anything he could reach and steal our belongings to sell for drugs,” the accused stated. 

Before testifying, Hendrik expressed regret that his brother is deceased. 

He explained that after starting drug abuse, the deceased’s behaviour changed drastically. 

He would fight with him and their father over minor issues. 

Hendrik also mentioned that police intervention was ineffective, despite calling authorities multiple times.

The State, however, alleges that the accused intentionally killed the deceased because he became a problem for them that neither the police nor the social workers could or wanted to assist them. 

The indictment states that the deceased received a government grant as he suffered from a mental illness/psychosis and was unfit to work. 

He had a history of damaging the property of one or both accused persons.

He had opened a case against him for setting his property alight in December 2017. 

He, however, withdrew the charges in 2018. 

On 8 April 2021, the deceased broke four windowpanes of the residence of the accused by throwing stones at it, the indictment reads. 

It adds that during the early morning hours of 9 April 2021, the two accused attacked the deceased and hit him with broomsticks and/or plastic pipes and/or steel pipes and/or other unknown objects and/or hit his head against a hard object. 

The deceased died at the scene due to subdural bleeding caused by blunt force trauma to the head. 

The State alleges that the two accused acted with a common purpose at the time. 

The matter continues.

The State is represented by Ethel Ndlovu, and both accused are out on bail. 

-rrouth@nepc.com.na