Matricide suspect awaits medical report

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Windhoek

An Otjimbingwe resident who confessed that he axed his mother to death at her residence in Otjimbingwe is still waiting to be seen by a psychologist – five months after the court ordered it.

After Siegfried Uirab informed the court he was possessed by evil spirits that instructed him to kill his mother Judge Christi Liebenberg ordered Uirab’s psychological observation at the request of Titus Ipumbu, his State-funded lawyer.

Judge Liebenberg was informed during a previous appearance that Uirab is still waiting to be seen, but that they were in consultation with the Superintendent of the Windhoek Central Hospital under which the mental unit resides to fast-track his admittance.

The judge ordered at the time that Uirab must be seen by independent clinical psychiatrist Dr Reinhardt Sieberhagen and a State psychiatrist. At his latest court appearance the court was merely informed that Uirab was not yet seen by a psychiatrist and his case was thus again postponed.

During his plea Uirab told the court he wants to plead “guilty without intent,” since he struck his mother with the axe four times, but denied the intention to kill her, as he was “overcome with spirits.” The judge, however, did not accept the plea and instead entered one of not guilty.

The State alleges Uirab killed Erika Uiras by hitting her at least four times with an axe on her head on November 21, 2013 at Otjimbingwe in the Karibib district, causing her to die two days later on November 23, 2013 at Katutura Hospital.

According to the charge sheet, the accused and the deceased shared a residence and he provided financially for her and the other complainants. During the afternoon of the incident, the accused threatened to kill Lizette Uiras and other family members if they do not vacate the deceased’s residence, which they did, only to return later, the indictment states.

During that evening and whilst the deceased was with her family at home, the accused arrived and had a short conversation with his mother whereafter he struck the deceased at least four times on the head with the axe, the indictment further reads.

The trial has been postponed to September 5 for the psychiatric report. In the manwhile Uirab remains in custody.