A 22 year old man was handed a 30 year jail sentence by a Nanyuki Court on Friday for defiling a minor.
Alex Wachira, a class eight drop out, was convicted by Principal Magistrate (PM), Waititu Gichimu for sexually assaulting a 14 year old standard six girl on diverse dates between 19th and 28th of April 2017 in Timau Trading Centre in Meru county.
The court was told that the accused lived with the underage girl in his house after she had differed with her mother and moved to his abode, following punishment for her poor performance in school.
“I assumed my child had gone to seek refuge in her father’s house at Riverside since we had separated during that time,” the mother told the court.
After enquiring from the father, she found out that the girl was not there and thus she went ahead and reported the matter to the police officers.
According to the prosecution, the complainant is said to have spent several days in the accused’s house and it is during this time she willingly had sexual intercourse with him.
Wachira, while defending himself told the court that the girl came to his house willingly, but when he got wind that the parents were looking for her, he prevailed upon her to return home, a week after staying with her.
The girl went home and the mother took her to Timau police station to report that she had been found.
Officers at the station referred her to Nanyuki referral Hospital where she was examined and it was confirmed that she had had sexual intercourse.
She later led the police officers to her boyfriend’s house. He was immediately arrested and taken to Timau police station and later charged with assault and committing an indecent act with a child.
In mitigation, the accused pleaded for leniency, saying that his elderly parents depended on him for upkeep.
However, the magistrate dismissed his plea noting that the offence was serious and that cases of adults defiling minors were rampant in the area.
He was given fourteen days to appeal
By Martin Munyi
