A Loitoktok law court has sentenced a middle-aged man to serve 20 years in prison for defiling a 12-year-old girl after locking her in his house.
Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu, Charles Mutuku Kyui is said to have defiled the girl between June 5 and June 8, 2023, in the Isinet area of Loitoktok Sub County.
During the trial, the girl told the court that on June 5, at around 7.30 p.m., she was returning home after spending the day away after absconding from school without her guardian's knowledge.
Further, she said that along the way, she met the convict, who allegedly grabbed and dragged her to his house and closed the door.
The accused allegedly warned her against screaming and held a knife against her before defiling her.
Did you read this?
She told the court how the accused tied and locked her in his house and continued to defile her.
On June 8, while Mutuku was away, she said she heard some girls passing outside the house and screamed for help.
They pushed the door open and untied her, and they reported the matter at the Isinet Police Station and later, the convict was arrested.
Mbithe Muteti, grandmother and guardian of the girl after the deaths of her parents, told the court how her granddaughter went missing for three days only to be brought home by police officers three days later.
Mutuku had, however, denied the charges, claiming that on the alleged incident dates, he had gone to Emali for tomato harvesting.
He said that when he returned, he did not find his colleague, with whom they rented a house. He said the police officers from Isinet arrived in the complainant's company and erroneously arrested and charged him with the offense.
He maintained that his colleague committed the offense, and since he was related to one of the police officers, the girl was advised to frame him up.
However, the court found the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and handed Mutuku the deterrent sentence. The accused has 14 days to appeal against the sentence if dissatisfied.
