By Peter Ochieng
Ian Njoroge, the 19-year-old university student captured on camera attacking a traffick police officer with kicks and blows has been charged.
He appeared before Magistrate Ben Mark at the Milimani law courts, in Nairobi, on Tuesday.
The suspect pleaded not guilty to robbery with violence, causing grievous harm and resisting arrest charges.
Njoroge is alleged to have committed the offences on Sunday within Kamiti road in Kasarani.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) wanted the suspect to be detained for three days to allow the investigating officer to draft an affidavit.
“The investigating officer assigned the matter yesterday and had a short time to do the statements, get expert reports, and present the file to our office. He’s not had time to put in an affidavit and we are objecting to his release on bail and we are asking for three days to allow police put in the affidavit,” the court was told.
However, the court granted the prosecution one day to detain Njoroge at Industrial Area prison.
In addition, the magistrate ordered that he be escorted to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for treatment, in the company of a parent.
This is after his advocates, Duncan Okatch and Vincent Lempaa told the court that Njoroge was molested in his house at the time of the arrest on Sunday, hours after the video of him attacking a police officer went viral.
The prosecutaion played a short video of Njoroge being interrogated, as proof to claims of mistreatment since the officers hurled insults at him.
“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.”