Lamu Law Court has jailed a 48-year-old man who blindfolded and repeatedly defiled his 12-year-old daughter to 20 years imprisonment.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), John Mureu Bonea committed both offenses on several occasions between 2020 and August 2022 in Ndeu village within Lamu Central Sub-County in Lamu County.

Lamu Principal Magistrate Hon. Martin Wachira noted that the evidence presented and the prosecution’s arguments established the accused’s culpability in the crime in his ruling.

The prosecution, through Prosecution Counsel Rosemary Karanja, presented five witnesses to prove its case and guide the court in convicting and sentencing the accused.

Further, Wachira observed that the minor suffered a lifetime of mental and psychological trauma following the awful act by her father.

According to the ODPP, the accused and his wife had separated, leaving the minor in the care of her grandmother, who would frequently send her to her father’s house to collect assorted food items.

“Later, the girl’s grandmother died, and she had to be taken care of by her aunt. This is when she opened up about her ordeal at the hands of her father,” ODPP said.

The aunt took her to the Mpeketoni sub-county children’s office, which referred the matter to the area police before it was transferred to the Hindi police station.