State refuses to accept guilty plea in young girl’s killing case

WINDHOEK, 15 OCT – The prosecution on Monday refused to accept a guilty plea including other related admissions by a 21-year-old resident of Rehoboth on trial for raping and strangling to death a teenage girl at the town in November 2016.
Aldrin Goliath entered a plea of guilty in the High Court on a charge of murder in respect of the circumstances that led to the death of 16-year-old Camila Gabriela Steyn between 05 and 06 November 2016.
The accused made the guilty plea through his State-funded defence lawyer Mese Tjituri and in terms of the provisions of Section 112 of the Criminal Procedures Act of 1977.
He personally admitted killing the teenage girl by strangling her to death with his own hands at a half-built house in Rehoboth’s Block C residential area while she was on her way home after socializing with some friends at South-West night club and Entertainment.
However, State Advocate Martino Olivier and High Court Judge Christie Liebenberg refused to accept Goliath’s guilty plea and other related admissions to the murder charge, saying the statement did not contain all the necessary elements and the court thereafter allowed the prosecution to lead evidence by calling witnesses to testify on its behalf.
Furthermore, the Rehoboth resident denied the charges of raping the deceased person and robbing her of some of her personal belongings after the alleged killing incident.
A summary of substantial facts contained in the charge sheet has it that during the late night of 05 November 2016, the deceased was walking alone from the local night club where she was socializing with friends.
While on her way home, the accused Goliath allegedly attacked her and took her to a half-built house in Rehoboth’s Block C residential area, where he raped her before strangling her to death with his bare hands and fleeing the scene.
The body of the deceased was discovered at the crime scene in the morning hours of 06 November 2016 and asphyxia was confirmed as the cause of death.
The trial continues on Tuesday and Goliath remains in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility, where he has been since his arrest, with no option to post bail.
(NAMPA)