Man jailed 20 years for defiling 12-year-old girl

A Kwale court has sentenced a man to 20 years’ imprisonment after convicting him of defiling a 12-year-old minor.

While confirming the conviction, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in a statement said the man was found guilty of defilement contrary to Section 8 of the Sexual Offences Act.

The court also convicted him on an alternative charge of committing an indecent act with a child under Section 11(1) of the Act.

"The accused committed the offence on 8 March, 2025, at 1130 hours in Kinango Village, Kinango location, Kinango subcounty within the Coast region," the statements says.

In a judgment delivered on Thursday, the trial court held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, saying the evidence presented was credible, consistent and sufficiently corroborated.

The victim was at the time a pupil at a local primary school.

According to the DPP, evidence showed that the child was accosted while playing with other pupils within the school compound before being taken away by the offender.

"The court heard that he found the minor playing in the school field with other learners when he forcefully grabbed her and covered her mouth with a piece of cloth suspected to have been laced with poison before taking her to his house," the statement said.

The prosecution said the minor lost consciousness during the incident and only regained awareness later, prompting her distress to attract the attention of a passer-by who raised an alarm.

The court heard that members of the child’s family responded to the alarm, leading to her rescue.

Prosecution witnesses testified that she found the offender at the scene and was able to positively identify him.

The child was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment.

Medical evidence produced in court corroborated the victim’s account and confirmed injuries consistent with defilement, the prosecution said.

The court was told that the offender was later arrested as members of the public attempted to confront him following the incident.

In his defence, the man denied the charges and claimed he had no intention of harming the child, describing the incident as a misunderstanding.

However, the court declined his account, finding it inconsistent with the prosecution evidence.

In its analysis, the court observed that the testimonies of the victim, her sibling, and other witnesses were coherent and mutually reinforcing.

The court noted that the medical report supported the case and left no doubt as to the commission of the offence.

While passing sentence, the court emphasised the gravity of the offence and the vulnerability of the victim, noting that sexual crimes against children have far-reaching physical and psychological consequences.

The ODPP said the 20-year sentence reflects the seriousness with which courts are treating sexual offences involving minors and serves as a warning to would-be offenders.