Officer suspected of rape out on bond

A police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman under his custody was Wednesday charged with rape at an Embu court.

The magistrate released him on a Sh500, 000 bond with a surety of a similar amount until June 16, when the case will be heard.
Senior officer, Jerevasio Njeru, from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations allegedly committed the offence at Manyatta Police Station.

He also faced a second count of indecently assaulting the woman by touching her private parts.

Mr Njeru, who has since been interdicted, was in charge of Embu North Sub-County. He was accused that on May 31, at Manyatta Police Station, he raped and touched private parts of a 42-year-old businesswoman who had been locked up at the facility.
The officer, however, denied the charges before chief magistrate Maxwell Gicheru. Through his lawyer Momanyi Gichuki, the accused urged the court to release him on bond promising not to interfere with prosecution witnesses if released.

Mr Njeru also said he would adhere to all the conditions set by the court.
Earlier, the court heard that the woman was in the cell when the officer summoned her to his office. He allegedly started raping her before the suspect raised an alarm, forcing him to let her go.

The woman reported the matter at the same station and recorded a statement before she sought treatment at Embu Referral Hospital.