A Nakuru court has sentenced a young man who assaulted and injured a police officer on duty to five years in jail.
Senior principal magistrate Felix Kombo, who convicted Eric Kipsang, said the sentence should serve as a lesson and to deter others from turning the country into a criminal arena.
“Beating and injuring a police officer maintaining law and order in the country is a serious crime," said Kombo.
Kipsang pleaded guilty to assaulting the Administration Police (AP) officer, Anthony Mwaura, who had been instructed to arrest him on May 20 this year at Kampi ya Moto area of Rongai in Nakuru County.
Kombo also said that assaulting a security officer executing his or her duty amounts to demeaning the laws of the country. Prosecutor Sirorei Rop told the court that Kipsang assaulted the officer ,occasioning bodily harm.
The court also heard that the officer was accompanied by a colleague, Benson Mbugua from Rongai AP post to arrest Kipsang after a report of family violence.
“Dr Justus Nondi from Nakuru Provincial General hospital classified the degree of injuries afflicted to officer in a P3 form as 'harm',” Rop told court.
In mitigation, Kipsang claimed he was angered by the officers who arrested him after injuring one of his brothers while trying to save his physically challenged mother who had been cut on the neck following a domestic brawl.