Otjiwarongo ‘hostel father’ can appeal 68-year sentence

A hostel caretaker who raped numerous schoolboys and was sentenced to 68 years in prison in March was granted leave to appeal his sentence yesterday."The state claims that this is an appropriate sentence, but I do not agree, and I believe there is a high probability that another court may come to a different decision," Judge Kobus Miller said in the Windhoek High Court.Mervin Nguyapeua (53) was a caretaker at an Otjiwarongo school’s boys’ hostel.He was arrested in 2016 and was found guilty on 20 October 2020 on 32 charges of rape. The victims were all under the age of 16, while the youngest was 13. Some of the boys were raped more than once.During yesterday’s proceedings, public prosecutor Seredine Jacobs said she does not agree with Miller, adding that the state believes the sentence is appropriate when considering the minimum sentence for rape and the number of victims. Despite this, Miller granted the application for appeal and Nguyapeua will soon approach the Supreme Court to review the case.OutragedJudge Alfred Siboleka, who handed down the sentence on 8 March, said the seriousness of the offence should result in a severe sentence."Society is outraged by the sexual contamination of schoolchildren, even worse when these evils are committed by an older person like the accused."In the eyes of society, the accused is a parent in his own right," his judgment read.The accused invited his victims, who were between the ages of 13 and 16, to his residence on multiple occasions, where he showed them an explicit video. This was used to arouse them, after which he sexually assaulted them.TraumatisedA psychologist who worked with the victims after the rapes came to light testified during the trial that the children are traumatised and the incident will have a long-term negative impact on their lives.Nguyapeua applied for legal aid, but it was announced yesterday that his application was rejected.This after it was found that there is no merit to his application. No further explanation was given.Nguyapeua requested that a friend of the court [amicus curiae] be appointed to represent him.During his trial, he had several legal aid representatives, whose services he terminated one after the other.- kristien@republikein.com.na

Otjiwarongo ‘hostel father’ can appeal 68-year sentence

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Otjiwarongo ‘hostel father’ can appeal 68-year sentence

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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