Twist As Teen Who Beat Up Nairobi Traffic Cop Claims He Was Molested

Njoroge, who was represented by his defence lawyers Duncan Okatch and Vincent Lempaa, told the court that he was molested at the time of his arrest.

Viral Tea Ke Writer Viral Tea Ke Writer
Jun 4, 2024 - 16:30 Updated: Jun 4, 2024 - 16:39
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Twist As Teen Who Beat Up Nairobi Traffic Cop Claims He Was Molested
A collage of a motorist filmed assaulting a traffic police officer in Kasarani who was arrested by detectives in a night operation on June 2, 2024. /VIRAL TEA KE

Ian Njoroge, the 19-year-old man who was accused of attacking and injuring a police officer on duty in Nairobi County on Sunday, May 2, 2024, has claimed that he was handled inhumanely by the officers who arrested him.

Appearing before Magistrate BenMark at the Milimani law courts, Njoroge, who was represented by his defence lawyers Duncan Okatch and Vincent Lempaa, told the court that he was molested at the time of his arrest.

The prosecution based this on evidence shown via a video played in court showing Njoroge being interrogated, which they argued was clear proof of mistreatment as the officers hurled insults at him.

Suspect Ian Njoroge being escorted into the Milimani Law Courts on June 4, 2024. /CITIZEN DIGITAL

"What the complainant did to him in that car, I can say he was manhandled by the complainant," the court was told.

"The accused is a first-year student in one of the public universities and he has a future that he is pursuing, he has parents and was arrested in the house of the parents. At the station, he was beaten and the clothes he was on were blood stained."

Njoroge denied three charges of robbery with violence, causing grievous harm and resisting arrest.

He was charged with robbery with violence, contrary to Section 296(2) of the Penal Code, where he is accused of using actual violence in an attack on Corporal Jacob Ogendo on June 2, 2024.

He had also faced charges of causing grievous harm to Cpl. Ogendo, contrary to Section 234 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), and assaulting a police officer in contravention of the National Police Service (NPS) Act of 2011.

Should he be found guilty, the suspect faces a death sentence for robbery with violence, as well as a Ksh1 million fine or 10-year imprisonment or both for assaulting an officer and resisting offence.

This comes after the teen was arrested in Kayole after the video of him assaulting the officer went viral. After the arrest, the teen was detained by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

In the footage, the teenager revealed that he had never attacked a police officer and that the latest incident was his first encounter, further claiming that the officer was requesting excessive money.

"I was angry, We were not understanding each other because he wanted a lot of money which I could not get," the suspect stated after his arrest.

Another video clip indicated that the suspect was arrested while in a white car. Police officers believed that the teenager was in Mirema for a clubbing experience.

Reports indicated that the suspect was a gang leader in Mwiki and has 10 cases pending in court.

A screengrab of a viral video where a police officer was assaulted in Nairobi on Sunday, January 2, 2024. /ROBERT ALAI