A former missionary volunteer at a Kenyan orphanage has been jailed for 40 years in the US for sexually abusing children at the home.
Twenty-one year old Matthew Durham from Oklohama was sentenced on Monday by Judge David Russell on four counts of “engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places".
Durham will further pay $15,863 (Sh1.6 million) compensation.
"These were heinous crimes committed on the most vulnerable victims. He was their worst nightmare come true," Russell said as reported by
.
“In a span of just 33 days, Durham “raped three girls — ages 5, 9 and 15 — at least eight times. During that same time period, he sexually molested a 12-year-old boy twice".
Prosecutors said Durham “not only abused children,” but “he psychologically damaged them by taking advantage of their trust".
The prosecutors said that Durham targeted orphans while volunteering at the Upendo Children's Home in Nairobi between April and June 2014.
A jury found Durham guilty on seven counts of the charge that year but Russell acquitted him on three of the counts in January.
Russell ruled that the prosecutors failed to establish that the accused engaged in a ‘sexual act’
with the children identified in the January charges.
Durham asked the court for mercy but was not remorseful for the offences.
In 2014, Durham arrived at Upendo Children’s Centre to volunteer.The accused had on three past occasions volunteered at the school.
He requested to stay at an “overflow bunk” in the school rather than an off-site facilities with sponsor families to be in a “better position to assist the children.
"A school caretaker began to notice odd behaviour between Durham and the children, including “lingering embraces” and “lying beside some of the children on their beds” at night," the complaint read.
Durham was confronted by leaders at the school who then held his passport, the complaint added but upon the return of his passport he flew back to Oklahoma.
At the time of his arrest, Durham’s attorney told CNN that Durham was coerced into a confession to get his passport back.