By Roland Routh
WINDHOEK – Petrus Friedel Kobus Frederick on Friday informed Judge Alfred Siboleka in the High Court that he never meant to hit Rachid Chanick Klukowski “that hard”.
He is accused of attempting to kill Klukowski who was only 20 years old at the time at Rosh Pinah in southern Namibia, on 3 December 2011.
He wanted to plead guilty to a lesser charge of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but the State represented by Advocate Simba Nduna rejected the plea and decided to try him on the attempted murder charge.
Frederick already pleaded guilty to a charge of murder in the same court. On that charge he admitted to killing his girlfriend, Bonaventura Skeyer, by stabbing her at least 27 times with two knives.
But he denies that he attempted to kill Klukowski.
According to Frederick, on the day in question he went to a friend’s house at around 18h00 just before sunset to help him repair his stove. He said all his children were at home when he left, but when he returned at around 20h00 he realised his daughter, Rachel, who was only 13 at the time was nowhere to be seen. After he enquired from his other children and got no answers he decided to go look for her in town. He said after he drove around town without finding his daughter, he decided to return home at around 23h30.
On his return he went to his brother’s house, which is just adjacent to his own house, and was told by his son that Rachel was picked up by people from Scorpion village.
He then drove there and when he entered the village he met some young people who told him to enquire at the flat of Pearl Nial.
When he approached the flat, he said, two young men came out of the flat and he asked them politely where his daughter was. At that stage one of the young men answered him rudely, ‘I don’t know and I don’t care,’ and he added, ‘why are you looking for her here when you saw her running away?’
He said the young man whom he later found out is Klukowski walked right up to him with his arms open as if he was going to attack him and was followed closely by the second man. It was at that moment that he decided to defend himself and he directed a blow to the man when he was at arm’s length from him.
“I did not strike him that hard, but he staggered back and hit his head on the window sill and then fell down onto the concrete floor of the small stoep,” he said in response to a question from his state-funded legal representative, Mese Tjituri.
He said he then returned to his car and went back home after which he was informed by his brother that his daughter had in the meantime returned and was sleeping at his house.
He further told the court he decided to let her sleep there and to confront her the next day as he did not like to confront his children late at night.
The case continues with witnesses to be called in aggravation and mitigation of sentence as well as submissions on the verdict in the attempted murder charge.