A man, who was arrested last year on suspicion he robs and preys on lone women in the Windhoek’s Goreangab area, is set to get new trial dates in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court.
Fillipus Hamutenya’s trial was scheduled to start in August but it could not commence due to the lockdown regulations that had been put in place at the time.
Making an appearance before magistrate Alice Gawanas yesterday, Hamutenya was informed his matter will be set down for Friday for the State and the defence to decide on the dates they are available for the trial hearing.
Appearing on a N$4 000 bail, Hamutenya is expected to be tried on one count of possession of suspected stolen goods.
Although he is suspected of rape, there is currently no case opened against him, according to the police.
Hamutenya was arrested on 3 August 2019 after he had allegedly broken into a shack where a couple was sleeping in Goreangab location.
He allegedly tied up and blindfolded the man. Thereafter, he proceeded to tie the woman and sexually violated her.
Members of the public followed the suspect to his shack, where they brutally assaulted him.
They said they were tired of his crimes. The community proceeded to remove all suspected stolen items from the suspect’s shack and laid them outside.
They then meted out mob justice before they called the police to arrest him.
The suspect was allegedly brutally beaten up by the community on the date in question – and at the time, a citizen’s arrest was made before he was handed over to the police.
A video of the suspect brutally beaten by the mob went viral on social media.
In the video, the suspect could be seen badly bruised and finding it very hard to stand and walk by himself. It is alleged Hamutenya, who is well known to the community, would force his way into shacks, force his victims to cook food for him and then rape them before stealing from them.
According to the police at the time, although there are currently four to five cases of rape reported, the suspect cannot be linked to them yet and police investigations are still underway.
– mamakali@nepc.com.na