Teen gets bail after armed hold-up with father’s gun

A 17-year-old Windhoek resident was released on bail on Monday after spending four nights in Police detention following his arrest on a charge that he had staged an armed hold-up at a house in the city’s Ludwigsdorf area on Thursday last week.

The teenage suspect, who is understood to be a Grade 11 student at a Windhoek school, appeared before Magistrate Cosmos Endjala on Friday on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm without a licence and possession of ammunition without a licence. At the request of Public Prosecutor Roxzaan Witbooi the Magistrate postponed his case to December 12 and directed that the suspect should in the meantime remain in custody.On Monday, though, the suspect returned to court and was granted bail of N$600.According to the Police, it is alleged that the suspect had held a young Angolan man at gunpoint at about 11h00 on Thursday last week after the Angolan had allowed him to enter his house in Zenobia Street in Windhoek’s Ludwigsdorf area.The suspect had apparently asked the man for a drink of water.It is suspected that he had earlier stolen two handguns belonging to his father, who is a former senior officer in the Namibian Police, by forcing open a safe in which the firearms were kept.Armed with the two guns, he then allegedly cycled to Ludwigsdorf, left his bicycle in a street near the house where the hold-up was to take place, and managed to talk his way into the house.Once inside, he is claimed to have pulled out one of the two pistols that he had with him.He held the young Angolan at gunpoint and demanded N$100 000 from him, it is alleged.The Angolan asked if he could phone someone who would bring him money, and then called his mother who he told in Portuguese that he was being held at gunpoint, the Police have reported.The mother called the Police and drove to the house, where the suspect was handed N$1 020 before the Police arrived at the scene and carried out an arrest, the Police reported.The suspect, who is represented by Jan Wessels of the law firm Stern & Barnard, has to appear in court again on December 12.At the request of Public Prosecutor Roxzaan Witbooi the Magistrate postponed his case to December 12 and directed that the suspect should in the meantime remain in custody.On Monday, though, the suspect returned to court and was granted bail of N$600.According to the Police, it is alleged that the suspect had held a young Angolan man at gunpoint at about 11h00 on Thursday last week after the Angolan had allowed him to enter his house in Zenobia Street in Windhoek’s Ludwigsdorf area.The suspect had apparently asked the man for a drink of water.It is suspected that he had earlier stolen two handguns belonging to his father, who is a former senior officer in the Namibian Police, by forcing open a safe in which the firearms were kept.Armed with the two guns, he then allegedly cycled to Ludwigsdorf, left his bicycle in a street near the house where the hold-up was to take place, and managed to talk his way into the house.Once inside, he is claimed to have pulled out one of the two pistols that he had with him.He held the young Angolan at gunpoint and demanded N$100 000 from him, it is alleged.The Angolan asked if he could phone someone who would bring him money, and then called his mother who he told in Portuguese that he was being held at gunpoint, the Police have reported.The mother called the Police and drove to the house, where the suspect was handed N$1 020 before the Police arrived at the scene and carried out an arrest, the Police reported.The suspect, who is represented by Jan Wessels of the law firm Stern & Barnard, has to appear in court again on December 12.