The former head of the agency that organizes Miss Rwanda has been sentenced to five years in prison after the High Court convicted him of soliciting sexual favors and rape.
Dieudonne Ishimwe, also known as Prince Kid was arrested in April 2022 on charges of sexually assaulting former contestants of the Miss Rwanda beauty pageant at various times. At least four girls had accused Prince Kid of sexual misconduct.
He was the CEO of Rwanda Inspiration Back Up, the organizer of the Miss Rwanda
His arrest came just a month after the climax of the 2022 Miss Rwanda search which saw Divine Nshuti Muheto crowned.
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A week before his arrest, former Miss Rwanda (2019), Meghan Nimwiza had resigned from the same agency (Rwanda Inspiration Back Up) under unclear circumstances.
On Friday, the High Court in Nyamirambo found Prince Kid guilty of soliciting sexual favors and rape, and he was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison. He will also pay a fine of Rwf 2 million (Ushs 6m).
In December of 2022, a lower court acquitted Prince Kid, citing insufficient evidence.
The Judge said at the time, that the prosecution failed to prove the authenticity of various accounts made by the witnesses and that the testimonies against the accused were contradictory.
Further, the judge said that while re-examining witnesses, they confirmed that they indeed wrote a joint letter indicating that Prince Kid did not in any way sexually harass them during or after participating in the beauty contest.
However, the prosecution lodged an appeal against the acquittal.
On Friday, while delivering his ruling, the Judge emphasized that the lower court had overlooked testimonies provided by the victims to the investigation and prosecution bodies.
“Instead, they had placed more importance on letters previously notarized by the victims and the testimonies given in court, in which the victims claimed Ishimwe never abused them,” New Times Rwanda reported.
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.
Finally, the court ruled in favor of considering the testimonies of the victims and witnesses before the Investigation and Prosecution bodies in relation to the charges of rape and soliciting sexual favors. These testimonies, according to the judge, provided essential insights into the details of how the crime was committed, among other critical criteria.
Prosecution had sought a 16-year jail sentence, but the presiding judge noted that they imposed a lesser sentence as the defendant was a first-time offender.
Among the evidence highlighted by the prosecution was a leaked audio recording of a conversation between Prince and one of the Miss Rwanda pageant contestants.
During one of the trial proceedings in April, Ishimwe argued before the judges that the audio in question was unrelated to sexual matters.
In August this year, Prince Kid Ishimwe wedded his long-term girlfriend, Elsa Iradukunda, who was Miss Rwanda 2017.
