Man recounts affair with woman accused of murdering their son (1)
The father of a one-year-old boy, whose mother is accused of murdering the child by stabbing him more than a dozen times, told a Windhoek High Court judge on Monday that his life was forever changed by the loss of his son.
"My life has never been the same since the loss of my son,” Erens Hammerslaght said.
Prosecutors say 36-year-old former police officer Vapeni Boois stabbed her son, Amare, at least 15 times in the Bethanie area on 12 January 2023.
The boy was conceived during an affair between Boois and Hammerslaght while he was still married – he is now divorced.
Testifying before judge Philanda Christiaan, Hammerslaght described how the pair first met.
He told the court they first met after he stopped to give Boois a lift in his car.
“Vapeni and I first met when I found her on the side of the road. She stopped my car and said, ‘I only have N$50, I need a lift to Bethanie.’ I told her, ‘No problem, I’ll take you for free’”, he recalled.
The two later exchanged phone numbers and stayed in contact.
“I told her to inform me when she came to Windhoek so that we could meet, which she eventually did,” Hammerslaght acknowledged.
Unplanned pregnancy
Hammerslaght claimed that when they eventually met, Boois asked him: “What’s in it for me?”
He said he offered her N$300, which she accepted, before the two had sexual intercourse.
“The next call I received from Vapeni was to tell me she was pregnant,” he said. “I did not take it well, because she knew I was married. She even went as far as sending pictures of herself in underwear, showing her baby bump, to my then-wife. It was like she was obsessed,” Hammerslaght testified, adding that he repeatedly warned her not to contact his wife.
According to Hammerslaght, when Boois gave birth to their son, she sent him and his wife photos of the baby and herself.
“I took responsibility nonetheless. I sent her money, N$500 on several occasions.”
Loss of a child
Hammerslaght's testimony aligns with what Amare’s paternal aunt, Ansua Hammerslaght, told Namibian Sun in an exclusive interview four months ago.
An emotional Ansua recalled that Boois had brought Amare to their home in Rehoboth in August 2022, where the family cared for him until she returned to fetch him three months later.
Amare’s father further told the court that his family received no support from Boois’s relatives during the funeral arrangements.
The trial is scheduled to continue from 27 to 31 October.
"My life has never been the same since the loss of my son,” Erens Hammerslaght said.
Prosecutors say 36-year-old former police officer Vapeni Boois stabbed her son, Amare, at least 15 times in the Bethanie area on 12 January 2023.
The boy was conceived during an affair between Boois and Hammerslaght while he was still married – he is now divorced.
Testifying before judge Philanda Christiaan, Hammerslaght described how the pair first met.
He told the court they first met after he stopped to give Boois a lift in his car.
“Vapeni and I first met when I found her on the side of the road. She stopped my car and said, ‘I only have N$50, I need a lift to Bethanie.’ I told her, ‘No problem, I’ll take you for free’”, he recalled.
The two later exchanged phone numbers and stayed in contact.
“I told her to inform me when she came to Windhoek so that we could meet, which she eventually did,” Hammerslaght acknowledged.
Unplanned pregnancy
Hammerslaght claimed that when they eventually met, Boois asked him: “What’s in it for me?”
He said he offered her N$300, which she accepted, before the two had sexual intercourse.
“The next call I received from Vapeni was to tell me she was pregnant,” he said. “I did not take it well, because she knew I was married. She even went as far as sending pictures of herself in underwear, showing her baby bump, to my then-wife. It was like she was obsessed,” Hammerslaght testified, adding that he repeatedly warned her not to contact his wife.
According to Hammerslaght, when Boois gave birth to their son, she sent him and his wife photos of the baby and herself.
“I took responsibility nonetheless. I sent her money, N$500 on several occasions.”
Loss of a child
Hammerslaght's testimony aligns with what Amare’s paternal aunt, Ansua Hammerslaght, told Namibian Sun in an exclusive interview four months ago.
An emotional Ansua recalled that Boois had brought Amare to their home in Rehoboth in August 2022, where the family cared for him until she returned to fetch him three months later.
Amare’s father further told the court that his family received no support from Boois’s relatives during the funeral arrangements.
The trial is scheduled to continue from 27 to 31 October.
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