Windhoek
The man who allegedly killed the child of his girlfriend and who then killed her after he was released on bail pleaded guilty before Judge Naomi Shivute on Monday to killing his girlfriend, but denies killing the boy.
Sageus Somaeb responded not guilty through a Khoekhoegowab interpreter when State Advocate Veicko Alexander read the first count of murder and – to the surprise of those present – said ‘guilty’ when the second count of murder was announced.
He, however, denied another two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and one of defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
His State-funded lawyer Willem Visser confirmed the pleas are in accordance with his instructions and proceeded to read from a plea explanation he had prepared for Somaeb. According to the plea explanation Somaeb admits the date and place of the death of Remember Gaingob, the six-year old boy he is accused of killing, but denies killing the boy.
He confessed he had stabbed Charlotte Gaingos, the mother of the boy – with whom he was in an intimate relationship in the form of a domestic relationship – 21 times with a knife, with the intention to kill her.
He also admitted dates and places of the other crimes, but similarly denied guilt on them.
Alexander accepted the guilty plea and informed the court the State will lead evidence on the other charges. Somaeb was then convicted of murder in accordance with his plea.
He still has to answer to another charge of murder, two charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and one count of defeating or attempting to defeat justice.
It is alleged that Somaeb killed Remember Gaingob during the period May 15 to 16 in Outjo and while out on bail on that charge killed Charlotte Gaingos, the mother of the child.
The assault charges relate to an incident when he allegedly hit the little boy over his body with a piece of wire on May 29, 2009. The summary further states that during February to March 2013 Somaeb threw a stone at Gaingos, that fractured one of her ribs.
The charge of defeating the course of justice relates to an incident where Somaeb allegedly disposed of pieces of carpet with blood on it and tampered with – or cleaned up – the scene where the boy was killed, later reporting to the police that the child died suddenly after complaining of a headache.
According to the indictment the accused and the deceased in count two lived together.
On May 23, 2009 the accused hit the the boy with a wire all over his body and the mother then reported the matter to the police, where after the police warned the accused not to beat the boy anymore, the indictment reads.
It further says during May 15 and 16, 2013 Gaingos left her child in the care of Somaeb at her home in Soweto Location in Outjo.
During this period, Somaeb hit and/or suffocated the boy, who died as a result of asphyxia caused by the suffocation and defeated the course of justice, according to the indictment. On July 31, 2013 while Gaingos was at the house of a friend in Soweto Location, the accused, who was on bail for the murder of the child, came there and stabbed her at least 21 times with a knife before fleeing the scene.
Gaingos died on the scene due to hypovolemic shock caused by the stab wounds. The trial continues and Somaeb remains in custody.