Heavy prison terms for Walvis Bay house robbers

Four men convicted of murdering a Walvis Bay resident during a house robbery have been sentenced to an effective prison term of 35 years each.

The four men – Panduleni Gotlieb (39), David Tashiya (37), David Shekundja (43) and Elly Ndapuka Hinaivali (38) – were sentenced by judge Dinnah Usiku in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility on Monday.

They were found guilty on six charges in July.

Usiku found that the evidence heard by her during the men’s trial proved that they broke into a house at Walvis Bay and attacked and robbed the house owner, Hans-Jörg Möller (50), and his wife during the night of 16 to 17 June 2016.

Möller was shot in the abdomen during the robbery and died in a hospital a day later.

Usiku sentenced Gotlieb, Tashiya, Shekundja and Hinaivali each to 26 years’ imprisonment on a charge of murder, a six-year jail term on a count of attempted murder, and three years in prison on a charge of housebreaking and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The four accused were also sentenced on counts of conspiring to commit housebreaking and robbery, and possession of a firearm and ammunition without a licence.

Usiku ordered that the sentences on those charges should be served concurrently with the sentence on the count of housebreaking and robbery.

Möller was shot in cold blood and his wife was severely assaulted during the robbery, Usiku said during the sentencing.

She also remarked that the four accused have shown no remorse over the crimes they committed.

The four men have been held in custody for more than eight years following their arrest in June 2016.