Kilifi Barber Who Raped 21-Year-Old Student Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison

A Kilifi court has sentenced a 32-year-old barber to 15 years in prison after finding him guilty of raping a 21-year-old student in Kasameni Village, Kilifi County.

In a judgment delivered by Chief Magistrate James N. Mwaniki, the court convicted Mwakombe Katana Karisa after determining that the prosecution had proved the charge of rape beyond a reasonable doubt.

Karisa has been charged with rape contrary to Section 3(1)(a)(c) of the Sexual Offences Act, No. 3 of 2006.

The said offence took place on July 10, 2024, when Karisa unlawfully and intentionally sexually assaulted the victim without her consent.

Forensic Evidence

The prosecution, which was led by Principal Prosecution Counsel Winnie Atieno Otieno, presented testimonials together with medical and forensic evidence linking Karisa to the crime.

The prosecution established that the victim was walking to school at 6.00 a.m. when Karisa approached her armed with a knife and a bottle.

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Karisa then threatened to strangle the victim before he forcibly removed her clothes and sexually assaulted her.

The court further heard that the victim met an independent witness who got to observe how her school uniform was soiled.

Witness

The witness also received an immediate report from the complainant regarding the sexual assault.

Medical evidence was presented before the court, and it showed that the victim had been recently sexually assaulted.

The medical findings revealed a broken hymen and bleeding, while the forensic team discovered spermatozoa on the clothes of the victim, which were collected as evidence.

DNA analysis was conducted on the materials collected and it linked the biological material recovered from the scene to Karisa

Accused Denied Charges

The prosecution argued that the forensic findings corroborated the complainant’s testimony and placed the accused at the scene of the crime.

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However, the accused denied the charges and gave an alibi, but the court disapproved his claims and ruled that he was the perpetrator of the crime because of the evidence.

Karisa was then sentenced to fifteen years in prison and was given a fourteen-day window to appeal if he thought the ruling was unfair.

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Kilifi Law courts entrance
PHOTO/KNA