A man from Kakamega who had been charged with defiling an 11-year-old girl has been set free after the minor told a court that she had been asked to lie about the incident by her mother.
She told Chief Magistrate Bildad Ochieng’ that her mother had asked her to implicate the accused, Mr Maurice Muhanda.
The man had been charged of having committed the offence on December 16, 2018 in Rosterman village in Kakamega Central Sub-County.
Her testimony came as a shock to those in the courtroom as she narrated how she had been coerced by her mother to lie about what happened.
NOT FIRST TIME
“This is not the first time my mother has asked me to implicate a relative. There is another defilement case against my uncle that she also forced me to lie about,” said girl as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She said she felt guilty of framing an innocent man.
“My mother has a habit of framing innocent people to get them punished whenever she disagrees with them,” said the girl.
The accused looked startled by the confession and quickly left the courtroom after the magistrate ruled that the charges had been withdrawn.
MOTHER’S CLAIMS
The girl’s mother had earlier told the court that her daughter was on her way home from church when the accused allegedly grabbed and dragged her into a sugarcane farm where he defiled her.
She alleged to have taken her daughter to Kakamega County Referral and Teaching Hospital for treatment.
She had told the court that her daughter was infected with a sexually transmitted disease.
But after the girl’s confession, the prosecution withdrew the case against the accused.
“In view of the minor’s confession to the effect that her mother had compelled her to implicate the accused falsely, I wish to withdraw my case against him,” said Mr Paul Juma.
“The case is dismissed; the accused is hereby freed,” said the magistrate.