Court sentences pastor to life imprisonment for raping girl

A Nyeri court has sentenced a pastor to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of defiling his neighbour’s nine-year-old daughter in Chaka, Kieni East.

Resident Magistrate Catherine Mburu convicted Simon Mutegi of Arise and Shine Church for committing the offence on October 16, 2014.

The court had heard that Mr Mutegi had sexually assaulted the girl in his house when her mother was away.

The minor testified that the convict told her “to remove her pants to be shown something and he also removed his clothes before lying on a couch”.

He later gave her Sh10 to silence her, it was said.

In his defence, Mr Mutegi told the court that on the alleged date, he was in Kerugoya attending a religious meeting.

He said the charge had been fabricated by the girl’s mother, that she had been sending him text messages demanding Sh100,000 to settle the case and that she had threatened him, though he did not report to the police.

While sentencing him, Resident Magistrate  Mburu dismissed the issue of a grudge between the Mr Mutegi and the girl’s mother.

She said the defence was unsubstantiated while the prosecution had disgorged its burden of proof in the case.

Ms Mburu gave Mr Mutgei 14 days to appeal the judgment.