A 28-year-old man has been handed 30 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of defiling a 12-year-old girl in Lamu County in 2022, contrary to the Sexual Offences Act of 2006.

During the trial, Lamu Resident Magistrate Flavian Mulama heard that the suspect, Jafar Mohamed alias Mudhafar,  initially deflowered the girl and subsequently took advantage of her on numerous occasions.

Mohamed was also reportedly close to convincing the girl to drop out of school so that he could marry her.

“To all the mothers present in court and those who will read this ruling, your children are your investment. Allowing them to blunder at their tender age and encouraging them to blunder not only renders them useless persons in the society but also make you as parents suffer in your old age.”

Further, Mulama slammed the suspect’s mother for allegedly preparing meals for her son and delivering them to his room in the presence of the minor during some of the defilement incidents.

“We can all guess again what would have happened had the mother of the accused person called him out and not condoned the behaviour by her son. Shame on you for encouraging your son to commit the offence,” Mulama said in his ruling.

“You had the power to stop your son’s shenanigans but you promoted it by providing food, maybe so that he has the energy. Sadly, that may be his last meal prepared by you for the next couple of years to come,” the court observed.

Similarly, the magistrate condemned a Lamu County Hospital Clinical Officer who doctored the defilement reports and encouraged the two families to settle the matter out of court.

“It was wrong for the treating doctor, one Aziza S Mbaruk, to allow and/or permit any interference with the treatment notes and all these intentions are made clear by her advice to the victims to resolve the matter out of court,” said the magistrate.

The prosecution presented six witnesses who proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mohamed was guilty of the offense.