Chinese athlete freed on Sh50,000 bond for alleged death threats to ex-lover

A 36-year-old Chinese athlete accused of threatening to kill his former girlfriend two years ago has been released on a Sh50,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount from a Kenyan citizen.

Eldoret Senior Principal Magistrate Onkoba Mogire imposed strict conditions on the accused, Chen Ching Yen, to ensure he attends court trials when required.

Yen, who trains in Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet County, was arrested by police detectives attached to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) in Eldoret two weeks ago after Michele Jemutai Koskei reported him to the police over her life.

The charge against him states that on May 9, 2022, at an unknown place within the Republic of Kenya, he sent an electronic message via WhatsApp to the complainant, threatening to terminate her life.

The one-paragraph threatening message read in part:” Let me tell you, I can kill you and the baby and you will do nothing because the police of Kenya are just stupid. I will give them money and no story about you again, I will cut you into pieces."

The foreign runner, who has been at the Eldoret GK remand prison for two weeks since his arrest, is represented by lawyers Alex Masakha and Peter Momonayi.

Earlier, there was a stand-off in court between the legal counsels for the accused and the investigating police officer Githinji Kaaria.

This was after the Investigating Officer requested that the accused person be held in remand prison for an additional 14 days to allow for the completion of the ongoing investigation.

While opposing the request, the lawyers told the court that the reasons provided by the investigating officer were not compelling enough to warrant keeping their client in custody.

“Your honor, the investigating officer had enough to conclude the investigation into the matter, including recording statements from the witness they intend to use against the accused person,” argued Lawyer Masakha.

He brought to the attention of the Presiding Magistrate that the IO has not yet recorded any statement from the complainant more than two weeks since the arrest and arraignment in court of his client.

“Up to now, the complainant in the matter has not recorded her statement with the police, including other witnesses the IO intends to line up as state witnesses in the matter,” stated Masakha.

The magistrate declined the request by the IO to continue holding the accused person in custody. He instead directed that the matter be mentioned on October 2, 2024 for pre-trial.