Mouton to hear fate this Friday
AWindhoek resident accused of killing a City Police officer and two civilians while allegedly driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol in 2015, will on Friday hear his fate in court.
The 23-year-old Morné Mouton was arrested on 4 July 2015 after he allegedly ran over the off-duty City Police officer Manfred Gaoseb, Werner Simon and Joshua Ngenokesho.
Windhoek magistrate Vanessa Stanley was initially scheduled to make her judgement known on 5 November 2020, but could not do so that day because she was unable to finish writing the ruling on time due to other official duties.
She is now expected to deliver the judgement on Friday at 09h00.
The postponement of the judgement in November was effected as per an agreement reached in court by prosecutor Rowan van Wyk and Mouton’s privately-instructed defence lawyer Ndeli Ndaitwah who was standing in for his colleague, prominent Windhoek defence lawyer Sisa Namandje.
The accident that claimed the lives of the three persons occurred along Sam Nujoma Drive in Windhoek’s Hochland Park residential area around 04h00 on 4 July.
The accused denied any wrongdoing and denied causing the accident when he entered a not guilty plea to the four charges of culpable homicide, driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, driving a motor vehicle without a driver’s licence and reckless and negligent driving of a motor vehicle at the start of his trial in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on 24 July 2018.
Mouton furthermore, through Namandje, handed over a statement before court in which he explained in detail all elements in respect of his not guilty pleas and defence. He entered his not guilty pleas before Stanley and as per the instructions given to lawyer Namandje.
Mouton is free on bail of N$6 000 and his bail was on 5 November 2020 extended until the handing down of the judgement on 22 January 2021.
He was driving a sedan at a high speed while allegedly heavily intoxicated, and hit the three men who were standing on the sidewalk.