NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Kenyan obstacle race Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto was charged with sex with a 15-year-old girl and released on bail Monday after pleading not guilty.
Kipruto has been accused of being labeled “defilement” under Kenyan law – sexual intercourse with minors under the age of 18. Given that the girl is under 16, Kipruto faces at least 20 years in prison if convicted of sex offenses, according to Kenya’s law.
The charge is akin to legal rape.
Kipruto, a police officer, 25, was charged in a courthouse in Kapsabet, a town in the high-altitude Rift Valley region famous for producing a stream of world-class distance runners. Kipruto lives in the region and was born in nearby Eldoret, another well-known running town.
Kipruto wore a red sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head to hide his face from the photographers in the courthouse. Because of the corona virus, he also wore a mask. Police who accompanied Kipruto to court tried to prevent journalists from taking photos of him. He was released on bail of $ 1,800.
Kipruto allegedly had sexual intercourse with the girl on October 20 and 21, according to the indictment, and was arrested for the first time on November 11. Kenyan media reported the girl disappeared from her home and stayed for 3 days for Kipruto’s house.
Kipruto could argue that the minor misled him into believing she was over 18 years old or that he reasonably believed she was over 18 years old. He made no arguments in his defense on Monday other than dismissing the charges.
Kipruto won gold in the 3,000-meter obstacle course at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He followed with two victories at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.
He didn’t take part this season. He retired from the Monaco Diamond League meeting in August after testing positive for the coronavirus.
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