A six-year-old child, Moses Lihongeni Erickson, died yesterday after he was brutally attacked by his uncle, 31-year-old Catholic priest Max Haudapiti, in Onakaolo village, Ohangwena Region.

The incident occurred on Friday while Erickson was asleep with his three-year-old cousin, Ingaveuya Tyapa, who died at the scene.

Preliminary police investigations indicate that Haudapiti, believed to be mentally unstable, entered the children's room and assaulted Tyapa, causing her to sustain severe head injuries that led to her death.

The suspect then proceeded to assault Erickson by hitting him against the floor, where he sustained multiple open wounds on the head. Erickson had since been fighting for his life in the hospital.

During his first court appearance at Oshakati Magistrate’s Court, Haudapiti was denied bail, and his case has been postponed to September 3 for a mental health evaluation.