Four Somali Nationals arrested for involvement in piracy and hijacking a fishing vessel, have been sentenced to 42 months in jail.
However, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Catherine Mwaniki had asked the court to sentence the four to life imprisonment, saying it is provided for, under the Merchant Shipping Act.
The court instead opted for a lesser charge noting that the accused had been in custody for almost four and half years.
Senior Principal Magistrate Joyce Gandani further noted that other pirates who have been found guilty by Mombasa courts, had not been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Hassan Adan, Ali Abdi Fita, Abdi Liban and Dahir Afran were arraigned before a Mombasa court where they were found guilty of attacking and hijacking F/V Tahiri.
The four are said to have attacked the ship between January 6 and 7, 2012 in the Indian Ocean while armed with an AK-47and a grenade.
According to a Nation report, the attackers also used violence against the crew and attempted to make the vessel a pirate ship.
While making his witness testimony through a video link, from Tehran in Iran, the captain of the fishing vessel Said Muhammed, told the court that together with 14 crew members of F/V Tahiri, they were attacked by pirates while fishing in the high seas.
He said the suspected Somali pirates took control of their vessel and told them to obey orders failure to which they would be killed.
Meanwhile, the court declined to transfer the four to Somalia noting that Kenya does not have a bilateral agreement with Somalia for transfer of prisoners.
