Double murder accused denied bail again
A Maun man accused of chopping up his mother-in-law and stepson with an axe in a horrific double murder back in February 2022 has once again been denied bail.
Nelson Dibebe, 31, has been stuck behind bars for over three years, ever since his arrest on the day of the bloody massacre. His latest efforts at freedom hit another brick wall on Friday, with Maun High Court sending him back to the slammer to await trial.
Explaining his decision, Justice Bugalo Maripe noted the reasons for Dibebe’s incarceration have not changed.
“His first attempt [at bail] was at the Magistrate Court in Maun where his application was dismissed by Chief Magistrate (Thebeetsile Mulalo) on the 9th August 2022. It emerged during those proceedings that there had been a prior restraint order against him which he violated with a view of pursuing his ex-wife for the purpose of causing her harm,” stated Maripe, adding such behaviour proves he is not a suitable bail candidate.
“By reason that he had violated a restraint order, the Magistrate took the view that he was likely to commit other offences while on bail. Evidence was led that he was searching for his wife and in the process committed two other offences of robbery,” continued the Judge, who further agreed with Magistrate Mulalo’s previous assessment that the suspect was likely to interfere with witnesses and obstruct the course of justice if freed.
“The court indicated that granting him bail would pose a risk to his wife and he is a general security risk who did not deserve to be released on bail.”
Trying his luck for a second time in March 2023, Dibebe was again shot down by Justice Godfrey Nthomiwa, who upheld Mulalo’s original ruling.
Undeterred, the accused killer sought relief from Francistown High Court, but his application was dismissed after the state argued the matter had already been adjudicated upon.
Maripe also made mention of recent Psychiatric Reports, which suggest Dibebe is a potential security risk.
“The two reports describe his condition as one of sadness, despair, loss of energy and difficulty with normal life. Although it states that he is not suicidal, it states that homicidal ideation becomes difficult to assess where he has never been exposed to the ex-wife together in counselling. It notes, however, that he is making progress and recommends that he continues with family intervention and counselling,” revealed the Judge.
Despite this improvement, Maripe remained firm in his decision to remand the suspect.
“The reports do not spell out any changes in the accused’s circumstances in terms of bail denial, but rather recommend that counselling and therapy sessions should continue. The progress that the applicant relies on is in relation to his response to counselling. It bears no relation to his likely behaviour once he is outside prison. And it expressly makes a disclaimer as to how he will react if he were to meet his ex-wife.”
In a day of horror rarely seen in the tourist town, in the early hours of Sunday, February 13, 2022, Dibebe is said to have butchered his Merafe Sianga, 60, and seven-year-old step-son, Andile Camm.
It is alleged his actions were motivated by a feud with his now ex-wife, Shirley Dibebe, 30, the mother to Camm and daughter to Sianga.
In the lead-up to that fateful night, Shirley reportedly sought refuge at a shelter for Gender Based Violence Survivors around December 2021 after fleeing the family home.
Due to school transport issues for her son, she took the boy to stay with his grandmother, Sianga.
On January 22, 2022, a restraining order was issued against her allegedly abusive husband.
A little over three weeks later, Dibebe is said to have forced his way into the house in Matlapana ward and attacked his wife, who escaped through a window.
He allegedly turned his attention to the older woman, splitting her head open with an axe, before dragging the screaming boy outside the house and killing him.
