Dippenaar to learn fate today
Nearly 10 years after a fatal accident near Henties Bay in which six people died, a verdict is scheduled to be delivered today in a case against Jandré Dippenaar.
The collision claimed the lives of Dippenaar’s three passengers – Dinah Pretorius, Charlene Schoombee and JC Horn – as well as Markus, Stephanie and Alexandra Joschko.
Magistrate Gaynor Poulton is expected to deliver her verdict this morning in the Swakopmund Magistrate's Court.
Dippenaar is facing six charges of murder, as well as a charge of reckless driving and driving a vehicle without a valid driver's licence.
Although the trial already started in 2015, the State only closed its case last year and Dippenaar's legal team got the opportunity to present its case.
No memory
During his trial, Dippenaar argued that he could not remember anything about the accident, which happened on 29 December 2014.
"We drove to Henties Bay, and then the accident happened. The next thing I can remember was when I was in a hospital bed," he told the court, adding that his doctors believe his memory loss was caused by the trauma and a head injury.
He also denied that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. He did admit that he drank some vodka and Coke earlier that day, but insisted that he didn't even finish that drink and apparently only drank Coke Zero.
With more than 20 years of driving experience, and given that he is also a rally champion, Dippenaar maintained that he was a responsible and experienced driver.
Different versions
Dippenaar's legal team further called an expert witness who contradicted the version of events presented by the State's expert.
Forensic road accident specialist Stanley Bezuidenhoudt said Johan Joubert's analysis of the accident scene is reportedly not scientifically correct. He argued that Joubert's scientific method for the analysis was wrong and further pointed out that Joubert only visited the scene seven days after the accident.
According to Bezuidenhoudt's analysis, the State's calculation of the speed of both vehicles and the lanes they were travelling in before the accident is unreliable. He claimed that the speed at which the vehicles were travelling was not as fast as the State claimed.
Bezuidenhoudt further argued that Dippenaar, who was driving an FJ Cruiser, was, according to his analysis, driving on the left side of the road and not on the wrong side as the State claimed.
He also questioned the time and place of the accident, as presented by witnesses, and argued that it contradicted the physical evidence.
Six lives claimed
On that fateful day, Dippenaar was driving his FJ Cruiser with three other occupants, Pretorius, Schoombe and Horn. They were in a head-on collision with a Ford Ranger in which German tourists - the Joschko family, Markus, Stephanie and their daughters Alexandra and Antonia - were travelling.
Dippenaar and Antonia (16 years old at the time) were the only survivors. The accident happened at around 17:00, about 12 kilometres from Henties Bay.
During Dippenaar's testimony, he was very emotional and apologised to Antonia and the parents of the Namibian victims. He said he wanted to apologise in person many times, but either the parents did not want to talk to him, or Antonia was a State witness and he was not allowed to talk to her.
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The collision claimed the lives of Dippenaar’s three passengers – Dinah Pretorius, Charlene Schoombee and JC Horn – as well as Markus, Stephanie and Alexandra Joschko.
Magistrate Gaynor Poulton is expected to deliver her verdict this morning in the Swakopmund Magistrate's Court.
Dippenaar is facing six charges of murder, as well as a charge of reckless driving and driving a vehicle without a valid driver's licence.
Although the trial already started in 2015, the State only closed its case last year and Dippenaar's legal team got the opportunity to present its case.
No memory
During his trial, Dippenaar argued that he could not remember anything about the accident, which happened on 29 December 2014.
"We drove to Henties Bay, and then the accident happened. The next thing I can remember was when I was in a hospital bed," he told the court, adding that his doctors believe his memory loss was caused by the trauma and a head injury.
He also denied that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. He did admit that he drank some vodka and Coke earlier that day, but insisted that he didn't even finish that drink and apparently only drank Coke Zero.
With more than 20 years of driving experience, and given that he is also a rally champion, Dippenaar maintained that he was a responsible and experienced driver.
Different versions
Dippenaar's legal team further called an expert witness who contradicted the version of events presented by the State's expert.
Forensic road accident specialist Stanley Bezuidenhoudt said Johan Joubert's analysis of the accident scene is reportedly not scientifically correct. He argued that Joubert's scientific method for the analysis was wrong and further pointed out that Joubert only visited the scene seven days after the accident.
According to Bezuidenhoudt's analysis, the State's calculation of the speed of both vehicles and the lanes they were travelling in before the accident is unreliable. He claimed that the speed at which the vehicles were travelling was not as fast as the State claimed.
Bezuidenhoudt further argued that Dippenaar, who was driving an FJ Cruiser, was, according to his analysis, driving on the left side of the road and not on the wrong side as the State claimed.
He also questioned the time and place of the accident, as presented by witnesses, and argued that it contradicted the physical evidence.
Six lives claimed
On that fateful day, Dippenaar was driving his FJ Cruiser with three other occupants, Pretorius, Schoombe and Horn. They were in a head-on collision with a Ford Ranger in which German tourists - the Joschko family, Markus, Stephanie and their daughters Alexandra and Antonia - were travelling.
Dippenaar and Antonia (16 years old at the time) were the only survivors. The accident happened at around 17:00, about 12 kilometres from Henties Bay.
During Dippenaar's testimony, he was very emotional and apologised to Antonia and the parents of the Namibian victims. He said he wanted to apologise in person many times, but either the parents did not want to talk to him, or Antonia was a State witness and he was not allowed to talk to her.
– [email protected]
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