No use for Sepopa’s psychiatric results
Larona Makhaiza | Monday September 25, 2023 06:00
Sepopa allegedly fatally shot his wife Bogolo Sepopa and another woman who was also a soldier, Same Moapare. A Captain by army rank, Sepopa is said to have fatally shot the two women back in July this year at the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Village Barracks.
The presiding Magistrate could not release the psychiatric report as expected as she felt the results would not impact anything as the accused was already released on bail.
“The psychiatric assessment results do not serve any purpose anymore, therefore, there is really no need for that psychiatric assessment results at all,” Mmesi said. She highlighted that she only required the psychiatric assessment report to aid her in granting or denying Sepopa bail. Mmesi had denied Sepopa bail initially.
Mmesi had denied Sepopa bail although the State prosecutor Katlego Seema and defence attorney Ofentse Khumomotse had reached an agreement that the murder accused be granted bail on account that he does not depict any emotion. Mmesi then needed to establish if Sepopa was mentally fit or not. But the Lobatse High Court overruled her decision nonetheless and granted Sepopa bail.
“I only needed the psychiatric assessment results for his bail application and the High Court has granted him bail, so there is no need for this report,” Mmesi explained. Prosecutor Seema did not oppose the presiding Magistrate’s position. Seema shared similar sentiments with Mmesi and indicated that the report is of no use.
After the report was discarded, the prosecutor echoed that it was now time for the State to wrap the investigations, so that the case readies for trial. “We shall now prepare the necessary documents for committal so that the case can now head to trial at the High Court,” Seema revealed. Prosecutor Seema pleaded with the court that they need at least two months to encapsulate the committal documents. “We therefore, ask this court to give us a time period of two months the very least to conclude everything needed for the committal documents,” she said. Mmesi gave the State the time requested. She set the matter for November 22, 2023.
“The State will be given two months and the matter shall be set for status hearing on November 22, 2023,” the Magistrate stated. In his attorney’s absence like it has been the case in the past court mentions, Magistrate requested Sepopa if he had anything to say, he responded by saying, ‘nothing to say’. The matter is slated to resume in two months’ time for committal.