A man from Macaravani East in the district of Katima Mulilo was sentenced to an effective 30 years in prison on Friday last week by High Court Judge President Petrus Damaseb at the Circuit Court in Katima Mulilo.

Judge Damaseb convicted Frans Erwin (35) on Wednesday last week on a charge of negligent discharging a firearm, murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, attempted murder and possession of a firearm and ammunition without a license.

He was convicted of shooting Mwaka Dorothy Kopelo to death, and assaulting and attempting to kill Aldrin Kangamba on 12 February 2021.

“You killed the deceased in cold blood with a weapon you had unlawfully in your possession. You shot the victim in the chest and irreversibly damaged her heart and lungs. Mwaka died violently at your hands,” he told the accused. 

He further told the accused that he betrayed the love the deceased had for him by taking her life. 

According to the judge, violence in the home is now an all-too-common occurrence that society wants punished appropriately when it occurs. 

He said the accused did not show any signs of remorse and still tried to put the blame on the deceased. 

“I observed you throughout the trial. I discerned no remorse in you whatsoever. You certainly feel self-pity for the fate that awaits you, but you have no repentance for your actions. You deserve a form of punishment that removes you from society for a substantial length of time,” the judge stated. 

He further said Erwin is a danger to society and that society will be unsafe with him in their midst. 

According to the judge, Erwin killed an exceptional woman, who went to VTC to improve her circumstances and obtain a skill – welding. 

He said society was robbed of a productive citizen, and that his actions ruined many lives. Further, the judge stated, the weapon used by Erwin was not retrieved and is probably now in the wrong hands and continues to pose a danger to the community. 

In the end, the judge sentenced Erwin to 12 months on the negligent discharge count, 28 years for murder, five years for attempted murder, 12 months for assault, 24 months for the possession of a firearm without a license and 12 months for possession of ammunition without a license. 

He, however, ordered that the arms and ammunition charges be served together, and for the assault and attempted murder sentences to be served concurrently with the sentence on the murder charge.

- rrouth@nepc.com.na