Man handed 30 years behind bars for defiling minor
A man who defiled a minor in Uasin Gishu County has been jailed for 30 years.
The verdict follows a court process that lasted five years.
An Eldoret court found Anthony Agesa Keya, 40, guilty of defiling his neighbor’s eight-year-old daughter.
Prosecution told the court that Keya brutally defiled the class two pupil on December 8, 2016 at Royalton area in Wareng, Uasin Gishu County. He had used a duster to suffocate the minor while he defiled her repeatedly, the court heard.
The minor who was schooling at a local primary school was heading to a nearby shop at around 6pm when she met the accused.
Victim's account
The minor narrated to the court how the single father of two called her in his house, in the pretext that he wanted to send her to the shop.
Since she knew the accused, she accepted and followed him to his house.
But the man turned a beast once they got into the house, pouncing on her and defiling her. This was after stuffing her mouth with a duster, whenever she attempted to scream.
While testifying in the trial, the minor told the court the man who worked as a mason at a local construction site in the neighborhood defiled her several times.
The tearful girl told the court that after the incident, the man gave her Sh20 and warned her not to tell anybody. He had threatened to stab her with a knife if she ever revealed it to anyone.
She went home writhing in pain and would later reveal the ordeal to her mother when she returned home from work.
Suspect arrested
The victim’s mother told the court that when she examined the minor, she noticed blood oozing from her private parts.
“I was scared when I saw what had happened to my child. I reported the incident to our village elder who advised me to take the minor to hospital for treatment,” the mother told the court.
The village elder arrested the suspect and handed him to Kiambaa police station where he was detained before being arraigned in court.
He had denied the charge and was released on Sh200,000 bond.
A medical report from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) where the minor was treated, however, revealed that she was defiled since she had a broken hymen with severe genital injuries.
Case lasted five years
The case took more than five years of prosecution, affected by frequent adjournments emanating from various technicalities from both defence prosecution. In April this year, the prosecution closed the case after presenting seven witnesses in court.
Upon the closure of the case, the court found that Agesa had a case to answer.
Through his defence, the accused who was represented by lawyer Elijah Ayieko told the court that the mother of the complainant and the village elder framed him over his past differences.
Honest and lucid evidence
However, while delivering the sentence, Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo noted that the girl gave honest and lucid evidence on how the accused defiled her, as well as evidence presented in court by prosecution.
“Prosecution has been presented in this court with overwhelming and sufficient evidence to prove culpability of the accused. I have no doubt that the accused defiled the minor. This court will sentence you to 30 years in prison,” ruled the Magistrate.
The accused has 14 days to appeal.
