Terror of Goreangab’s case postponed

The trial of a Windhoek resident, accused of terrorising lone women in the Goreangab area, was postponed to next year by the Katutura Magistrate’s Court.

Fillipus Hamutenya allegedly forced his victims to cook for him, and then he rapes them before stealing from them.

The lengthy postponement comes after the State informed the court they were not ready to start with Hamutenya’s trial as scheduled.

Thus, magistrate Uaatjo Uanivi postponed the case to 22 January 2022, making it a final postponement for a plea and trial. The court extended bail until his scheduled appearance in court.

Appearing on N$4 000 bail, Hamutenya is expected to be tried on one count of possession of suspected stolen goods. Although he is suspected of rape, there is currently no case opened against him, according to the police.

According to the police, on the day of his arrest, on 3 August 2019, Hamutenya had allegedly broken into a shack, where a couple was sleeping in the Goreangab location.

Hamutenya allegedly tied up and blindfolded the man; thereafter, he tied the woman and then sexually violated her.

Members of the public followed the suspect to his shack, where they brutally assaulted him.

The public said they were tired of his crimes and proceeded to remove all suspected stolen items from the suspect’s shack and laid them outside. The public meted out mob justice before they called the police to arrest him.

According to the police at the time, although there are currently four to five cases of rape reported, the suspect cannot be linked to them yet as police investigations are underway.

Hamutenya could not make his first appearance in court when he got arrested, as he was hospitalised in a critical state. The suspect was allegedly brutally beaten up by a mob on 3 August. At that time, a citizen’s arrest was made before he was handed over to the police.

A video of the suspect brutally beaten by the mob went viral on social media.

In the video, the suspect could be seen badly bruised and finding it hard to stand and walk by himself.