Two ||Kharas region residents accused of committing sexual crimes with a preteen girl about six years ago have both been found guilty on multiple charges, including counts of rape, in the Windhoek High Court.

Judge Naomi Shivute found one of the accused, Dirk von Weidts (75), guilty on one charge of rape, two counts of committing an indecent or immoral act with a girl under the age of 16, and three charges of trafficking in a person in a judgement delivered on Thursday.

The second accused, Jors Arrie (49), was convicted on two counts of rape and one charge of trafficking in a person.

Von Weidts and Arrie were both accused of raping or indecently assaulting a girl in separate incidents at Noordoewer in the ||Kharas region between October 2020 and January 2021.

The girl was 11 years old by January 2021.

Von Weidts and Arrie denied guilt on all of the charges they were facing when their trial began in March 2024.

In her judgement, Shivute concluded that the girl was a reliable and credible witness.

She found it highly unlikely that the girl would have made such serious allegations against the accused out of the blue, Shivute said.

She recounted that the girl told the court Von Weidts transported her to his house, where he proceeded to carry out sexual acts with her, on two occasions, and on one occasion transported her to a mountainous area, where she said he also carried out a sexual act with her.

After carrying out the acts, Von Weidts gave the girl N$50, sweets and cake on one occasion, biltong, sweets and N$30 after another incident, and chocolates, sweets and biscuits after another occasion, the girl said in her testimony.

She also testified that Arrie invited her and another girl to his house at Noordoewer and offered to give them N$5 in January 2021.

At his house, he left the other girl outside, barred the door of a room in which he was with the girl, and raped her, she said.

She claimed Arrie also raped her on a second occasion.

Shivute rejected the versions of both accused, who denied the girls’ claims, and made findings that Von Weidts and Arrie had each transported the girl unlawfully for the purpose of sexual exploitation, making them guilty of trafficking in a person.

Von Weidts and Arrie are both being held in custody after being found guilty.

They have to appear in court again on 14 October.