Reho couple appear for selling cannabis Two suspects arrested Friday at Plot 42 in Rehoboth''s Kavukiland neighbourhood for allegedly selling cannabis made their first appearance at the Rehoboth Magistrate''s Court on Monday.Forty-three-year-old Callie Bock and his wife, 36-year-old Lizzet, made their first appearance before Magistrate Salome Bampton at 12:00, when they pleaded guilty and indicated that they were conducting their own defence.
The two are facing charges of illegally and unlawfully dealing in cannabis after the Hardap police''s drug unit found 195 cannabis cigarettes, suspected to be the contraband of the two, worth about N$7 995 in the second house they searched.
Callie told the court a customer came to him and bought five cannabis cigarettes and two consignments known as ''bankies'' with a marked N$200 note.
A few minutes later, police came to his house and started searching the premises but found nothing before proceeding to the second house. Police ordered the accused to open the house whereby the accused said it is not his house.
Despite him saying that, the police opened the door by force and found 195 cannabis cigarettes.
Bock pleaded guilty to selling five cannabis cigarettes and two bankies, and pleaded not guilty to the other charge of 195 cannabis cigarettes found in the second house.
His wife, Lizzet, said she also sold five joints to a customer who earlier bought the same stuff from her husband and pleaded guilty on the charge of selling cannabis unlawfully and illegally.
The Magistrate adjourned the case to 14:00 the same day for the cases to be separated.
Upon resumption, Magistrate Bampton found Lizzet Bock guilty on a charge of unlawfully and illegally dealing in drugs. She was sentenced to 12 months'' imprisonment with six months suspended for five years on condition she does not commit a similar offence and the other six to be served immediately.
Callie changed from conducting his own defence to wanting a lawyer and the matter was postponed to 8 December for him to obtain legal representation.
Callie was denied bail on condition he might commit the same offence again and releasing him will possibly allow the residents to take the law into their own hands.
Prior to the case being heard, three people acting on behalf of 45 others, handed a signed petition to the magistrate in which they said they opposed bail being given to Callie and Lizzet.
The petition said the judiciary should handle such cases in a pragmatic way and not for the benefit of the perpetrators.
They called on the magistrate to refuse bail regardless of what the current legal interpretations might be.
NAMPA