A man convicted of defiling his 15-year-old step daughter has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In her ruling on Thursday, Nyeri Chief Magistrate Wendy Kagendo said that the accused had repeatedly denied the charges against him despite having four witnesses before court.
She said that the accused had not given any compelling reason that would prove his innocence.
Edward* had told the court that he did not defile his step daughter as accused, as he would only ask her to bring him food in his bedroom on different occasions.
The accused, in his defence, said he had paid fees for the minor’s primary education and enrolled her to a nearby polytechnic.
But his wife told the court that she once found the accused with their daughter on their bed with his hands wrapped around her.
FOUND HIM IN BED
On inquiring what was happening, the accused told her that he had mistaken their daughter for her. At that time, she said in court, she did not pay keen attention to what was happening.
“My husband was drunk during the time that I found him on our bed with our daughter. It did not occur to me that he could actually do that,’’ explained his wife.
The next incidence that got Ms Wangui worried was when their daughter disappeared from home only for the police to come home and arrest her husband.
The minor was found in a nearby children’s’ home where she explained what had been happening at home to authorities who then alerted the police.
A chief from Waithaka village, John Waithaka Nderi also testified before the court that he had known the accused who was a carpenter, for 35 years and that he had two wives with the minor’s mother being his second.
He added that Mr Theuri had separated from his first wife and re-married the woman who had three children out of their marriage.
Mr Theuri was arrested on February 23, 2019 at Gitathini village in Nyeri County.
He was charged with a count of incest and an alternative charge of defiling a minor on diverse dates between January 1, 2013 and February 23, 2019.
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