WINDHOEK – Chaos broke out at the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday after the man accused of murdering a 32-year-old trainee pastor from Botswana attacked Allgemeine Zeitung photographer, Marc Springer, knocking down the journalist with a vicious blow behind the ear.
The seemingly heavy-handed suspect also nearly attacked other journalists at court but fortunately for them the police jumped in and restrained the accused. This was shortly after Andre Castri Frieldel Dausab, an IT technician at Namcol, made a first appearance on a charge of murder before Magistrate Jermaine Muchali Muchali.
The accused was not asked to plead after State prosecutor Erich Naikaku asked the court for a postponement for further investigations. Dausab’s lawyer, Gilroy Kasper of Meroro and Associates pleaded with Magistrate Muchali Muchali that his client was unstable and needed to be screened by psychiatrists as he was not in a right state of mind.
Public prosecutor Eric Naikaku informed Muchali Muchali that the State was objecting to any bail due to the seriousness of the offence, public interest and for fear of the accused absconding.
He informed the magistrate that investigations were still ongoing and requested a remand to May 14, 2014 to allow for further investigations.
However after defence counsel’s Kasper’s passionate plea, which the magistrate granted, the case was postponed to March 24 for the State to make arrangements for Dausab to undergo mental observation.
After proceedings the police led a very aggressive Dausab out of A-Court. While walking past members of the public and journalists in the corridor, the accused broke loose and hit senior journalist Marc Springer of the Allgemeine Zeitung behind the left ear, felling him to the floor. The police then jumped onto the accused like tigers and managed to contain him. The struggle continued up to the holding cells with Dausab’s lawyer jumping into the crowd trying to protect his client from any blows.
It is alleged that on Saturday the accused stabbed the third year student at the theological college several times in the chest and arms before he struck the fatal blow in the neck and then slit her throat in her room at the campus in Pioneers Park, Extension One.
Dausab will remain in custody pending a formal bail application.
On the situation outside the courtroom that got almost totally out of control, Regional Crime Coordinator Deputy Commissioner Sylvanus Nghishidimbwa said he regretted what happened, and that it was just another eye opener for the police to deal with such type of incident.
“We must protect the accused and also we have to protect the public against such incidences,” he said. He said it was up to the victim [Marc Springer] to lay a charge. Springer, however, clutching his ear with his jaw stretched out indicated he did not hold any grudges.
By Fifi Rhodes