A 69 year-old man is reported to have assaulted a lawyer for asking too many questions during cross-examination in a case where he was a witness. John Edward Njeru who is a former Director of Operations Kenya Police Service allegedly assaulted lawyer Alex Kimani with heavy blows on his abdomen.
The lawyer who was representing the accused sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital. It is said that the witness was angered by repeated questions from Lawyer Kimani during the case hearing.
Sources say the lawyer had requested the court to allow him get closer to the witness who was seated. While the lawyer was showing him some documents, he received a heavy blow on his stomach. The court was forced to give the witness a one-day jail term.
On Tuesday September 28, the senior principal magistrate Bernard Ochoi was told that Kimani could not appear in court since he was still in pain.
Lawyer Waweru Benson said that his colleague was urged by the doctor to go for scanning. He told the prosecution and the defense to join hands to condemn the act and asked the court to detain the witness for more days until the matter is reported to the police.
The elderly man who could not walk on his own is a complainant in a case where a business man identified as Gabriel Njoroge allegedly defrauded him by forging a certificate of lease for the land in Nanyuki. The business man is alleged to have committed the offense in July 2009.