Three City Police officers have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each after they were found guilty in March this year, of killing a 17-year-old teen, Mandela Ramakhutla.
High Court Judge Dinnah Usiku handed down the sentence.
This sentencing comes at a time when there has been a major outcry against police brutality.
The officers, Werner Johannes Shetekela (36), Kleophas Shikalepo Kapalanga (33) and Elia Nakale (39), were found guilty of murder and attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.
They were however acquitted on charges of kidnapping.
Usiku said how Shetekela, Kapalanga and Nakale handled Ramakhutla was grossly inhumane.
“When they dumped a seriously injured minor suspect at the police station instead of taking him to for immediate medical attention, call for a custodial sentence,” Usiku said.
Usiku further said Shetekela, Kapalanga and Nakale did not show remorse in the matter.
“All of them candidly denied that they are the ones who killed the deceased. They did not, therefore, apologise to the deceased’s family,” Usiku said.
Usiku also said they are more concerned about himself and their dependents.
Ramakhutla who was assaulted on 16 April 2013 died nine days later, on 24 April.
Initially, Shetekela, Kapalanga and Nakale did not take him to the hospital but rather to the Windhoek Police Station.
However, he was taken to hospital by the police late on 16 April, doctors recorded that he could not breathe on his own and had suffered a “severe head injury and was in a comatose state”.
Ramakhutla was suspected of having stolen a laptop from the Windhoek City Police offices seven years ago.
Shetekela, Kapalanga and Nakale testified that they had detained Ramakhutla and taken him to several houses in search of the stolen laptop before dropping him off at the police station.
The freshly sentenced murderers of Mandela Ramakhutla, who were City Police Officers, have indicated their intention to appeal the sentence and want to apply for bail pending the appeal. The three officers remained free on bail until his sentencing.
Meanwhile, one of the sentenced officers Shetekela is facing another murder charge with his fellow City Police officer Rosalia Eliphas after the death of his 29-year-old wife, Taleni Werner in 2015.
Shetekela and the deceased who stayed in Wanaheda reportedly had a long-standing problem of domestic violence.
