Boxing champion versus police officers

NAMIBIA’S world-champion welterweight boxer, Jonas Junias Jonas, is also facing an assault charge for attacking a police officer on the night he allegedly violated the Covid-19 emergency curfew on 16 April at Swakopmund.

This charge is in addition to the one of attempted murder that was opened after the boxer allegedly struck a man on the head with an unknown object the same evening.

The victim sustained serious injuries to the head.

During his official bail application in the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court last week, the officer investigating the case, Victor Nekongo, told the court it took seven police officers to eventually apprehend the young boxer after he refused an instruction to go home during curfew hours. Jonas allegedly informed the officers that he and three of his friends had been attacked and robbed of a cellphone, which was why they were out during the curfew.

The boxer allegedly asked the officers why they pursued them instead of the alleged robbers.

One of the officers then allegedly pushed Jonas to the ground and a tussle ensued between him and three other officers as they tried to get the boxer inside a police van.

When they failed to arrest him, they left him alone and drove away.

“We got into our car and followed them to the police station,” Jonas told the court.

The boxer claims he got to the station and asked why the police officer assaulted him.

Four other police officers apprehended him during a scuffle, which led to Jonas tearing one of the officers’ uniforms.

Jonas said he was only holding onto the officer’s uniform to avoid falling.

The police later managed to successfully arrest him and charged him with assaulting an officer of the law, in addition to contravening the curfew.

The police were later informed that the boxer had also allegedly struck a man on the head earlier the same evening, upon which Jonas was slapped with a charge of attempted murder.

Nekongo said if Jonas is granted bail it would encourage further attacks on the police.

He said Jonas and his friends had refused an instruction to switch off his car’s lights, which beamed onto his alleged attackers, who were allegedly minding their own business at a nearby house.

After one of the men approached Jonas, an argument is said to have broken out during which the boxer allegedly struck him on the head with an unknown object.

Jonas’ defence lawyers, Hilya Neshuku and Thomas Wylie, asked why three police officers could not apprehend the boxer.

Nekongo said Jonas stormed into the station without shoes and “an open chest”, and called out: “Where are those motherf**k*rs? Bring them out so I can f**k them up.”

This is when four police officers apprehended him, after which he allegedly attacked one of the officers and tore his uniform. Jonas was consequently locked up and charged.

“Why would Jonas follow the police car to the station and not flee the scene if he was being apprehended for an offence, and had allegedly assaulted a police officer? And why would he go to a station full of police officers without shoes and an open chest and take them all on? It is illogical,” Wylie argued.

“Unless it was all because he wanted to follow up on the fact that he had just been attacked and robbed, but instead the victim of a robber is arrested for attempted murder and the assault of a police officer,” the lawyer said.

Wylie said instead of an assault charge, Jonas’ actions could be reduced to the possible resistance of arrest as evidence seems to show he did not attack the police, but was merely resisting, which may have led to the uniform being torn.

Jonas will hear whether he is granted bail on Wednesday.