Nurse’s arm broken by cop
Selma Ikela Windhoek-A Windhoek nurse had her arm broken allegedly by a heavy-handed police officer after she had asked why the police had wrestled and handcuffed her brother for no good reason yesterday morning. The nurse, 29, who prefers anonymity, has subsequently opened a case of assault against the police sergeant, only identified as a certain ‘Sackeus’, who is stationed at the Windhoek Police Station. “He came and slapped me twice and twisted my left arm. I told him. ‘You’re breaking my arm’, and repeated ‘I feel you breaking my arm’, but he continued twisting it. I was not fighting him. Other officers stopped him,” narrated the nurse whose arm has since been plastered. An x-ray later confirmed she has a fracture in her arm and has now been booked off from work until March 28. The incident happened on Sunday morning when some police officers in a police Quantum minibus ordered a taxi to stop in Frans Indongo Street. The nurse and her two brothers were passengers in the taxi, going home after a night out on the town. The nurse said that after the taxi driver had stopped he got out of the vehicle and the police immediately handcuffed and started beating him. “My brother asked the police officers why are they beating a defenceless man (taxi driver),” said the nurse, adding that the officers then turned on her brother who had introduced himself as an officer from the Very Important Persons Protection division (VIPP). “One officer said to my brother, ‘Oh you are VIP? Let us teach him a lesson.’ They (police officers) then turned on my brother. They wrestled him and handcuffed him as well. He did not resist. I asked the police officer if it was wrong of my brother to question them,” said the nurse. The nurse said that a sergeant identified as ‘Sackeus’ then approached and slapped her and twisted her arm. She added that ‘Sackeus’ also assaulted her younger brother who recorded the incident on his cellphone. The police officers then ordered the taxi driver to drive to the Windhoek Police Station where the nurse and her brothers were locked up in the holding cells till the early morning with no charges laid against them. The nurse said she repeatedly told ‘Sackeus’ at the police station that she was in pain but he responded: ‘I don’t care, just stay there. Why are you behaving like a child?’ The nurse and her brothers were released at 7am when the new shift started duty. The police officers who had reported for duty called an ambulance after she narrated the ordeal to them.
2018-02-12 09:37:23 7 months ago
