Kenyan police officer to die by hanging for robbery

A Kenyan police officer, Constable Gilbert Ingosi Chemoso, who thought he could augment his finances by robbing a businessman, Chrispine Otieno Odongo of Sh90,000, (N44, 316) on June 25, 2012, has been sentenced to death by a Nairobi's Chief Magistrate court.

The police officer will die by hanging while a second suspect in the case, George Kamau Ndogo, a civilian, was acquitted.

According to Kenya Daily Nation, the police officer, had organized and staged the crime where the business man was dispossessed of his money shortly after he withdrew the money from a bank.

The judge averred that despite an alibi Ingosi gave, which was supported by his colleague with whom he had been assigned guard duties at a nearby bank where the robbery was committed, 'he had all the opportunity to leave his work station and commit the offence and return back (sic) to work.'

A search at his house at the Makongeni Police Station, the magistrate observed, yielded an un-serviceable handcuff, which'he explained away as having belonged to another police officer who occupied the house before him.'

The investigating officer, John Shegu, had previously told the court that Ingosi was in full uniform when 'he sprung at the complainant and held him by the neck before pushing him into a waiting vehicle, which later drove off.'

The judge, while handing down the sentence, said:

"Mr Ingosi was indeed in uniform when he committed the crime, (and) the victim believed that he had been arrested before he was robbed.

He saw the AK-47 rifle which had been assigned to the police officer for his guard duties and identified the person who robbed him.

The victim was told to return to the scene, which was in the vicinity where the police officer had been stationed to work and saw him again."

She said that during his testimony the complainant had a 'firm resolve and was sure that the police officer was involved in the robbery.'