Human trafficking accused’s trial in the High Court in June

WINDHOEK, 23 Apr – The trial of South African national Martinus Pretorius, accused of 19 human trafficking and rape offences committed in Namibia during 2012, will start in the High Court in two months’ time.
The human trafficking trial is set to begin before High Court Judge President, Petrus Damaseb on 27 June and will run until 29 June 2018.
The date for the trial was decided upon as per an agreement reached by the accused’s defence lawyer, Attorney Jan Wessels and State Advocate Felistas Shikerete-Vendura in court on Monday.
Meanwhile, the accused is scheduled to make another appearance in the High Court on 31 May 2018 to allow the defence and the State to sort out pending issues in respect of the trial.
Pretorius, 47, a former South African police officer, faces other charges emanating from coercive circumstances in which the alleged rape and human trafficking offences took place. These include assault by threat, common assault and malicious damage to property.
He allegedly raped three minor girls aged between 13 and 14 in Swakopmund in 2012 before fleeing the country in September of that year.
Pretorius was arrested in South Africa in April 2016, after which the extradition process commenced and concluded in December 2017, when he was finally brought back to Namibia to face the charges.
He was employed at Rössing Uranium Mine when he allegedly committed the crimes.
His co-accused, Namibian Johanna Lukas who allegedly provided the minor girls to Pretorius on four occasions between April and May 2012, was sentenced to 13 years’ direct imprisonment on counts of human trafficking and rape.
The judgement was handed down by Judge President Damaseb in August 2015.
Pretorius is alleged to have paid Lukas N.dollars 10 000.
Lukas is the first person in Namibia to be convicted of trafficking children for sexual exploitation.
Pretorius remains in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility until 31 May when he will appear in court for a pre-trial conference of case management review in respect of the outstanding issues.
(NAMPA)