Africa-Press – Namibia. THE murder of a young mother in Windhoek four years ago was a premeditated and wicked act, a High Court judge remarked before sentencing a Namibian Defence Force major to an effective prison term of 35 and a half years yesterday.
Sentencing military paramedic Johannes Nduvangue Neuaka (44) on a charge of murder and seven other counts, judge Naomi Shivute said Neuaka committed “a horrendous offence” when he killed his former girlfriend Shané Rittmann in Windhoek on 21 January 2018. Rittmann (25) was killed when she was shot in the head with a pistol.
She and Neuaka had been involved in a relationship from which one child – a son now seven years old – was born. The relationship was abusive, with Neuaka having threatened to kill Rittmann and assaulting her on several occasions, the judge heard during his trial.
Shivute commented that it was aggravating that Neuaka committed a premeditated murder. She also noted that all of the offences which he committed against Rittmann took place in a domestic setting. Neuaka threatened to kill Rittmann “prior to him executing his wicked act”, the judge said. She continued that he “has no respect for human life”.
In addition to the murder charge, Neuaka was found guilty on two counts of attempted murder, a charge of assault, counts of discharging a firearm and pointing of a firearm, and charges of possessing a firearm and ammunition without a licence as well.
The court found that he tried to kill Rittmann in January 2015, shortly after she had given birth to their son, by strangling her while threatening to kill her.
At the end of August 2015, he also attempted to kill Rittmann by stabbing her in the chest with a knife. Rittmann laid a charge against Neuaka with the police after that incident, but withdrew the charge later on the same day, the court heard.
The court was informed that Rittmann applied for an interim domestic violence protection order against Neuaka in April 2017. Two months after that, she had that order withdrawn. Six months later, she was murdered.
Shivute sentenced Neuaka to 28 years’ imprisonment on the murder charge, prison terms of two years and three years on the two counts of attempted murder, a jail term of six months on the assault charge, and two years’ imprisonment for possessing a firearm without a licence.
Those sentences were not ordered to be served concurrently, translating into an effective prison term of 35 years and six months. On the charges of discharging a firearm, pointing a firearm and possession of ammunition without a licence, Neuaka was sentenced to three one-year jail terms, which were ordered to run concurrently with the sentence on the charge of possessing a firearm without a licence.
The judge further declared Neuaka unfit to possess a firearm for five years with effect from the time he completes serving his sentence. Neuaka – who is the father of 11 children, the court was told – spent four years in custody before his sentencing. Defence lawyer Mbanga Siyomunji represented him during the trial. State advocate Ethel Ndlovu prosecuted.
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