Teacher on sex assault charges out on bond
A teacher accused of sexually assaulting six students at Njoro Girls High School has been released on bond.
The accused, Mr Paul Gicheru, was released on a Sh500,000 bond with a similar surety, with the option of a Sh200,000 cash bail. He was also ordered to report once a week to Njoro Police Station.
Chief Magistrate Doreen Mulekyo, at the same time, adjourned the case to August 18 to enable the girls to concentrate on their studies without interruption.
The students will only attend court sessions during school holidays, ruled the magistrate.
Mr Gicheru’s lawyer Karanja Mbugua had urged the court to release his client on bond, saying he had been interdicted and therefore could not go to the school and interfere with the witnesses.
INDECENT ASSAULT
The bond ruling was made as the hearing, now going on in camera, entered its second day.
Mr Gicheru has denied that he indecently assaulted the five girls by touching their breasts and behinds on diverse dates between June 2014 and June 28 at the school.
The court also heard that the Kiswahili teacher defiled a 15-year-old-girl on several occasions between June 18 last year and June 28 this year, in the school compound and at a bar.
Mr Mbugua had also protested against the police action of escorting the teacher to hospital to undergo examination on whether he had contracted any sexually transmitted disease.
But State Counsel Nancy Ngovi dispelled the claims, saying the teacher’s blood samples were taken to enable the investigators verify whether it was him who defiled the 15-year-old.