A man was on Thursday sentenced a 30-year jail term for defiling a 12-year-old girl in Lamu and later attempting to settle the case by offering furniture.
Jafar Mohamed Alias Mudhafar was charged before Lamu Resident Magistrate Hon. Flavian Mulama for the offense. The prosecution revealed that the suspect had promised to deliver a bed, wardrobe and a dressing table to the victim's mother as restitution for the crime.
The family of the victim, however, reported the matter to authorities after the convict failed to deliver the promise.
In her ruling, the Magistrate found found the accused guilty of the offense and sentenced him to serve 30 years behind bars.
Mulama further gave a tongue lashing to mothers of the accused and the defiled girl for accepting the criminal act and remaining silent. The two women had earlier entered into an agreement to settle the matter with the victim's mother, only reporting the incident to the police after the accused’s family failed on the terms of compensation.
According to an impact assessment report from medical authorities, the girl lost her virginity to the accused in 2022 following a series of unprotected sex. The report further indicated that the girl was on the verge of dropping out of school following persistent pressure from the accused who promised to marry her.
The prosecution further revealed that matter had been exacerbated by a female clinical officer from Lamu County Hospital who doctored the medical report and encouraged the two families to settle the matter out of court.
“I have only one question for you today. How would you have felt if another man your age does what you did to the victim herein to any or both of your daughters? And this includes a funny and misguided request that they drop from school so that he marries her or them? I bet you would be as mad as the word itself and on this side of the county you would be armed with a panga or a knife ready to attack the perpetrator and this grudge would have played out through the generations to come,” The Magistrate questioned.
The magistrate also took an issue with the culprit’s mother, who prepared a meal of rice, stew and a hot breakfast and delivered the same to her son while in the room with the girl.
“We can all guess again what would have happened had the mother of the accused person called him out and not condoned the behavior by her son. Shame on you for encouraging your son to commit the offense. 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.
The magistrate further lashed out at the victim’s mother for seeking a fully decorated furniture, something that would have not survived 7 years, as a compensation for her daughter’s virginity.
