A Kenyan courtroom has sentenced two males to 35 years in jail every for the homicide of Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat late final yr.
The Olympic steeplechase athlete was stabbed to dying on New Yr’s Eve within the city of Eldoret, often known as a high coaching heart for athletes.
“Your actions have been merciless to a defenseless man and also you shortened his life,” Decide Reuben Nyakundi advised Peter Ushuru through the sentencing listening to on the Eldoret Excessive Courtroom. ·Haloumi and David Eke Lockre.
Kiplagat’s homicide shocked the individuals of Kenya, which has additionally seen the killings of plenty of elite athletes lately.
The choose stated Kalumi and Lokre adopted Kiplagat as he was sitting in his automobile after which CCTV footage confirmed they killed him intentionally and with premeditation. The precise motive for the homicide is unclear, however on the time of the arrest police described it as a theft.
The athlete’s mom made an emotional plea to the courtroom on Monday asking Decide Nyakundi to impose a life sentence.
She spoke about how her son, who started his profession as a barefoot runner, labored his approach as much as turn into a world runner and breadwinner, The Nation reported.
“My son has 8,000 [Kenyan] shillings ($62; £48) and an costly cell phone, however the killers took nothing from him. Their mission is to finish him painfully,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.
Though they didn’t conform to the household’s request for a life sentence, they stated they have been happy with the result and that justice had been served.
Kiplagat was solely 34 years previous when he died. He had reached the ultimate of the three,000-meter impediment course on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He additionally competed within the subsequent two Olympics and is the Ugandan report holder within the occasion.
