- Maina used to call the victim “his girl” and his “best friend in the universe”
- He would regularly accuse her of having “neglected” him if she did not maintain contact.
Image: The Star
A Kenyan man based in London, United Kingdom has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for grooming and raping a young girl in Hackney.
Anthony Maina aged 52 years old was found guilty of 17 offences, including seven counts of rape by Wood Green Crown Court in the UK.
According to reports by the London Evening Standard, the court was issued with reports of how Maina used gifts, clothing, food and mobile phones to lure the victim into trusting him.
Maina used to call the victim 'his girl' and his 'best friend in the universe'.
He would regularly accuse her of having 'neglected' him if she did not maintain contact.
“Maina would isolate her from all of those around her to knock away at her confidence to prevent her from questioning what he was doing,” read the report.
In addition, he would ask the victim to come to his property under false pretences, such as to receive a parcel or let some workmen in, and would then abuse her.
Whenever she began to challenge his advances, he would compel her family to force her to go to his house by suggesting she was being unhelpful.
Investigations were launched after the girl went to a local police station in December 2018 to report the sexual abuse she was being subjected to.
Investigating officer Met Detective Constable Stefan Wimmer termed Maina’s crimes as some of the most vile and despicable psychological manipulation and sexual abuse he has ever encountered.
“It is sickening to think that individuals like Maina exist. He did not show a flicker of remorse over the course of the investigation and tried to claim in an interview the survivor was merely a ‘troublemaker’ in an attempt to discredit her,” Wimmer was quoted by the London Evening Standard.
He said the victim's bravery in coming forward and assisting the police officers led to the arrest of Maina.
“The survivor, on the other hand, has shown an immense amount of patience, courage and resolve since the moment she came to the police and I have nothing but admiration for her,” he said.
“It is because of her bravery in coming forward and assisting police that Maina is behind bars. I hope that the sentence provides her with some solace and that in time she can put this horrific episode of her life behind her.”
The survivor added:
“To all survivors that are going through any type of abuse, I would encourage you to come forward because I didn’t think that I’d get this outcome, but I did, and now that he’s sentenced he’s going to prison for many years, and I won’t have to endure him anymore."
“You shouldn’t feel worried, you just need to be patient and strong. It will be a weight off your shoulders.”