American paedophile arraigned in Mavoko on three new charges

A 68-year-old convicted American serial paedophile was on Tuesday denied bond by the Mavoko Law Courts in a case in which he is facing seven counts of child sexual offences.

The charges against Mr Terry Ray Krieger come just 18 months after he was released under unclear circumstances while serving a 50-year sentence for similar crimes.

The wheelchair-confined suspect, who has been in custody since November 10 when he was charged with sexually assaulting a minor, was brought to the court precincts under heavy security and his case was mentioned before Mavoko Senior Principal Magistrate Barbra Ojoo.

Krieger is accused of sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl at Athi River Great Wall Estate between November 6 and 8. He is also accused of refusing to have his fingerprints taken at Athi River Police Station.

Sitting next to the dock in his wheelchair and dressed in a purple jumper, grey T-shirt trousers and black sports shoes, the suspect remained composed when the charges were being read for him. His female lawyer withdrew from the case due to “the sensitivity” of the matter.

“The accused has a previous criminal offence record in America. The current charges carry a jail term of not less than five years. Nothing has been brought before me that shows the suspect requires specialised treatment. I decline to grant him bond for now. The mention will be on November 27, 2023 in preparation for a full hearing, said Ms Ojoo.

Sexual assault

Thereafter, the suspect was wheeled into another magistrate’s court, this time to take plea for six new charges involving sexual assault of an eight-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl.

Before Senior Resident Magistrate Mary Gitau, the suspect was read the six counts, which included sexual assault, being in the country unlawfully, child pornography and benefiting from child prostitution. He proceeded to plead not guilty on all counts.

“I know someone who has vowed to use all the money needed to keep me in jail. These are false accusations,” he said.

The prosecution told the court that the suspect had refused to give the password for his laptop to enable its inspection. It added: “The prosecution has appealed his acquittal when he was serving a 50-year imprisonment. There was a lacuna in the interpretation of the law. We want the suspect to be compelled to give out his laptop password for more evidence.”

The lead prosecutor also told the court that there was a likelihood of more charges being brought against Krieger. The suspect was remanded at Kitengela GK prison.

Krieger’s first case under the new charges and bond application hearing will be heard on November 30, with a pre-trial hearing set to begin on February 22, 2024. The second case will be mentioned on January 24, 2024.

Krieger was first apprehended in 2013 by Kenyan authorities for his involvement in a child sexual abuse ring. He was in December 2014 handed a 50-year jail term by Magistrate Joseph Karanja after he had pleaded guilty to a charge of child pornography. In the case, he was accused of abusing a boy and a girl aged three and six, respectively. He later sent still and video images of the acts to another paedophile currently detained in a German jail.

Appeal

In June last year, Krieger was released from Kamiti Maximum Prison after serving only eight years of his 50-year sentence. Mr Krieger had filed an appeal which the then Director of Public Prosecutions Nordin Haji last year urged the High Court to dismiss.

Through Senior Assistant Prosecutor Duncan Ondimu, the DPP submitted that the evidence tendered before the trial court was not in any way discredited by the defence and Krieger readily pleaded guilty.

Krieger’s arrest in 2013 came after Interpol investigations in Germany and the United States, the Daily Mail of the United Kingdom reported.

In 1992, he was arrested in the US for criminal sexual conduct with a 13-year-old and he was sentenced to prison for three years.