A man has been handed a 25-year jail term by Nanyuki Law Courts for defiling his stepdaughter.
In a statement shared by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Thursday, March 28, the man was sentenced after being found guilty of violating the Sexual Offences Act.
The accused is said to have committed the heinous crime between March 2020 and May 2021 in Timau Buuri, West of Meru County.
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According to the ODPP, the man defiled his stepdaughter multiple times and threatened to kill her if she ever reported the incident.
"Senior Principal Magistrate Ben Mararo of Nanyuki Law Courts today sentenced a man to 15 years in jail for defilement, after he was found guilty of violating the Sexual Offences Act. During the trial, the court heard that between March 2020 and May 2021, in Timau Buuri, West of Meru County, the accused, who is the stepfather to the victim, repeatedly defiled her and threatened her with death if she reported the abuse," the ODPP stated.
The ODPP said that the prosecution represented by Counsel Maina Kimaru presented a compelling case by bringing forth six witnesses.
ODPP said the court proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was guilty of the counts against him.
"The prosecution through Prosecution Counsel Maina Kimaru, presented six witnesses, establishing the accused’s culpability beyond any reasonable doubt," the statement read further.
Jail terms for sex offenders
In another incident on March 1, a man was slapped with a 40-year jail term for defiling and knowingly infecting a 10-year-old girl with HIV/AIDS.
According to a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the accused was said to have perpetrated the act in May 2023 at Makandura in Laikipia North Sub County.
ODPP stated that following the testimonies of four witnesses presented by the prosecution, the court found the accused guilty of committing the heinous act.
"Nanyuki Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Hon. Ben Mararo has today convicted and sentenced a man to 40 years in prison for defiling and knowingly infecting a 10-year-old girl with HIV/AIDs. The accused is said to have committed the heinous act in May 2023 at Makandura in Laikipia North Sub-County. The court ruled that the Prosecution through testimonies from four witnesses presented compelling evidence proving the case against the accused person beyond reasonable doubt. The matter was prosecuted by Maina Kimaru," the ODPP stated.
In a separate incident, On February 29, 2024, Dennis Kibet entered a not-guilty plea at the Kabarnet court after being charged with defiling and causing serious harm to a 10-year-old minor.
Kibet reportedly committed the heinous act on February 3, 2024, at around 9.00 p.m. at Sessoi village in Baringo North sub-county.
He was additionally accused of engaging in an indecent act with a child, which goes against section 11 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act No.3 of 2006.
The prosecutor, represented by lawyer Beatrice Bartilol, objected to the defendant's release on bail, citing concerns about the risk of the defendant fleeing.
Bartilol's request to revoke the defendant's bail was backed by a sworn statement from Police Constable Henry Owiti of Kabartonjo police station.
Owiti stated that the defendant was apprehended by the public in Marigat sublocation while attempting to escape after the reported defilement of a minor.
The affidavit also mentioned that the victim and key witnesses were afraid to testify if the accused was released.
