Sengerema resident slapped 30-jail sentence for defiling 6-year child

SENGEREMA, MWANZA: A resident of Kijiweni village, Sengerema District, Mwanza Region, Masele Maganga ’42’, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty of defiling a six-year-old child (name withheld).

The sentence was read on February 26, 2024, by Sengerema District Court’s Senior Resident Magistrate, Evod Kisoka, in the presence of State Prosecutor, Nyamhanga Tissoro, in criminal case number 22850/2024.

Initially, the Prosecutor informed the Court that the accused committed the crime on July 25, 2024, in Kijiji cha Kijiweni, Sengerema District, Mwanza Region.

The accused was brought to court for the first time on July 12, 2024, where the charge was read to him, and he denied the offense.

ALSO READ: Sengerema resident jailed 3 years for biting two people

The prosecution presented witnesses, and the case continued to unfold in the court until February 19 of this year, when the accused, represented by his lawyer, Freddy Gervas, strongly denied involvement in the alleged crime.

After reviewing the legal provisions and the evidence presented by the prosecution, including a doctor’s report on the child and the victim’s birth certificate, the Court concluded that the prosecution had successfully proven the charge beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crime.

After being found guilty, the defendant asked the Court to release him, arguing that he was a first-time offender and claiming that he was overtaken by the devil.

In delivering the sentence, Magistrate Kisoka sentenced the defendant to 30 years in prison, hoping that the sentence would serve as a warning to others.