Farmer to labour 24 years in jail for attempting to defile

By WAIRIMU KAMANDE

A man was sentenced to 24 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempting to defile a child.

Appearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Litizia Wachira, the accused, John Kuruma, admitted committing the offence on August 8, at Kigio Village in Gatanga.

The court heard that on the said date, at around 5pm, Kuruma lured the eight-year-old girl to a maize plantation where he tried to defile her but failed.

He then gave the girl Sh20 with instructions that she should not tell her mother what had transpired.

The girl, the court heard, went and bought a cake with the money but a concerned woman enquired where she had gotten the money from, prompting the child to reveal what had happened to her.

She was later taken to Kirwara District Hospital for medical examination and the suspect later arrested.

Mitigation

In mitigation, the 52-year-old farmer said he had talked with the minor’s mother and she had agreed to reconcile.

And although Chief Inspector Josephine Wambua said the man was a first offender, the magistrate said the offence committed against the child was serious, deserving the sentence.

"I have considered your mitigation but the offence against the minor is serious. I do not promote the reconciliation for doing so would mean promoting the offence.

I will sentence you according to the law," ruled the magistrate.

The accused has a right to appeal within two weeks of the judgement.