Six on kidnap charge told to plan defence
Kenya Prison Warders display some of the 80 mobile phones and 2,144 mobile phone lines at Kamiti Maximum prison on January 6, 2014. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | FILE
What you need to know:
- The court had been told that part of the ransom demanded by the suspects who kidnapped the six-year-old girl was sent to a convict on death row in Kamiti.
- Ms Charity Gathigi, Ms Judy Wambui, Ms Anne Njeri, Ms Purity Muthoni and Ms Alice Gitonga alongside Mr Raphael Nderitu have denied the kidnap charge.
Six people on trial for kidnapping a child at Mavuno Church in Nairobi have been asked to prepare their defence.
Nairobi chief magistrate Helena Ndung’u on Monday said that after the investigations officer, Mr John Shegu wound up his evidence, “it was clear the prosecution’s account of events had merit” and the suspects had a case to answer.
The court had been told that part of the ransom demanded by the suspects who kidnapped the six-year-old girl was sent to a convict on death row in Kamiti.
POLICE TRACED MONEY
Mr Shegu had recounted how police traced the money wired through M-Pesa to Mr Raphael Nderitu alias Ali Maina, and at an M-Pesa shop owned by one of the suspects in Umoja, Nairobi.
Ms Charity Gathigi, Ms Judy Wambui, Ms Anne Njeri, Ms Purity Muthoni and Ms Alice Gitonga alongside Mr Nderitu have denied the kidnap charge stating they demanded a Sh5 million ransom from the girl’s parents.
The magistrate said the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the suspects and set the defence hearing for next month. She directed the prosecution to supply the defence with all it may need, including M-Pesa data printouts.
