Dieudonne Ishimwe, also known as Prince Kid, was found guilty by the High Court in Nyamirambo on charges of soliciting sexual favours and rape. He was sentenced to five years in prison, and slapped a fine of Rwf2 million, on Friday, October 13..
Ishimwe is the founder of Inspiration Back-Up, the former organisers of Miss Rwanda. The charges related to his relationship with some of the Miss Rwanda contestants.
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Delivering the verdict, the presiding judge noted that the lower court had overlooked testimonies from the victims to the investigation and prosecution bodies. Instead, they had placed more importance on letters previously notarised by the victims and the testimonies given in court, in which the victims claimed Ishimwe never abused them.
The presiding judge pointed out that the High Court conducted a thorough examination of all the evidence presented, aligning it with the relevant legal provisions and referencing prior verdicts in similar cases.
Consequently, the Kigali-based court ruled in favour of considering the testimonies of the victims and witnesses to investogators and prosecutors in relation to the charges of rape and soliciting sexual favours. These testimonies, according to the judge, provided essential insights into the details of how the offence was committed, among other considerations.
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Posecution had sought a 16-year jail sentence, but the presiding judge noted that they imposed a lesser sentence as it was the defendant's first-time offence.
It was not immediately clear if Ishimwe would have the opportunity to appeal the verdict.
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In 2022, the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court acquitted Ishimwe arguing that the prosecutors had failed to present compelling evidence to the court to secure a conviction on any of the offences.
Prosecution would later appeal the ruling tothe High Court on several grounds, including the argument that the intermediate court judges had disregarded crucial pieces of evidence, including witness testimonies and victims' statements.
Ishimwe had pleaded not guilty to all charges.