By Roland Routh
WINDHOEK – The man who is accused of the recent rape and murder of a 56-year-old woman in Windhoek West appeared before Magistrate Ingrid Unengu on Tuesday.
Wilhelm Wimpie Derick February, 34, was not asked to plead and his right to legal representation was explained to him.
He informed the court that his parents would organise a private lawyer for him.
February is charged with raping and suffocating 56-year-old Dinah Diedericks on Sunday morning, 22 June.
Available information suggests February and the deceased were part of a group of people that attended a party.
After the party they together took a taxi and after the taxi dropped off the victim, February remained behind. He then somehow got into the deceased’s house and raped her whereafter he strangled her.
The State strongly objected to bail and called the crimes “very serious” when taken together.
Public Prosecutor Verinao Kamahene told Unengu that it would not be in the interest of justice nor public interest to grant bail to February.
He said the investigations were at a very sensitive stage. According to Kamahene, the State has a real fear that the accused might abscond if granted bail as he is a South African citizen.
The matter was postponed to 5 August to enable February to get legal representation and he was advised of his right to formally apply for bail.