A Namibian man who claimed he was fighting off two “gay” figures in his sleep when he fatally stabbed his girlfriend and wounded their baby daughter has been found guilty of murder, attempted murder and assault.
A court in Namibia has convicted Johannes Claasen of murdering his girlfriend and attempting to murder their baby daughter after rejecting his claim that he believed he was fighting two gay men who appeared beside him while he slept.
Claasen, 39, was found guilty in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility of murdering Ridensia Rolinda Lamberth, attempting to murder their baby daughter, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The attack took place in the early hours of 25 December 2020 at the couple’s home in Keetmanshoop. Lamberth, 28, was fatally stabbed in the chest, while the couple’s 11-month-old daughter was also stabbed but survived.
Claasen claimed he was fighting two men
During the trial, Claasen told the court that while sleeping he found himself lying between two gay men, one of whom he said wanted to have sex with him.
He claimed he tried to fight the man off and later “came to his senses” holding a knife, only then realising that he had stabbed Lamberth.
He said the two men he believed he had seen had disappeared by that point.
His defence relied on evidence from a psychiatrist who said Claasen had rapid eye movement sleep disorder with automatism, a condition that can cause people to physically act out dreams while asleep.
The psychiatrist argued that Claasen was not consciously responsible for what he did during the attack.
Judge rejects sleep-disorder defence
Judge Dinnah Usiku was not persuaded.
She gave significant weight to the testimony of Lamberth’s older daughter, who was seven at the time of the attack.
The child told the court that before the stabbing she saw Claasen lift the mattress, take out a knife and place it beneath his pillow.
She did not see him stab her mother, but said she was later woken by a noise and saw Claasen stabbing the baby.
The child also described earlier incidents of violence, including seeing Claasen chase Lamberth with a knife and assault her badly enough to leave her with a swollen eye.
Three witnesses told the court that the couple’s relationship had been marked by threats and physical violence.
Usiku also considered evidence from a separate team of mental-health professionals who had previously assessed Claasen and found him fit to stand trial and potentially criminally responsible for his actions.
The judge ultimately rejected his version of events, finding it was not reasonably possible that he had been unaware of what he was doing.
Previous violence also formed part of the case
The assault conviction relates to a separate incident in March 2020, when prosecutors said Claasen struck Lamberth and caused bruising and swelling around her eye.
The State also alleged that Claasen had distrusted Lamberth because of her previous relationship with the father of her older daughter.
All three charges were considered alongside provisions of Namibia’s Combating of Domestic Violence Act.
What happens next?
Usiku delivered the guilty verdict on 2 October 2026.
Claasen remains in custody and is due back in court for a pre-sentencing hearing on 21 October.
The case has attracted attention internationally because of Claasen’s extraordinary claim involving “gay” figures.
But legally, the central issue was not the sexuality of the people he said he saw. The court was asked to decide whether his claimed sleep disorder meant he lacked criminal responsibility for the attack — and rejected that argument.
