Controversial Kenyan preacher and former presidential candidate Quincy Timberlake has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in Australia after pleading guilty to manslaughter charges related to the tragic death of his son, Sinclair.
Justice Paul Freeburn, in his ruling, described the three-year-old’s death as “brutal and incomprehensible.”
Timberlake, the spouse of former TV personality Esther Arunga, confessed to the crime on September 13, two weeks ago.
The court heard that Timberlake admitted to forcefully striking the young boy on the stomach, claiming that Sinclair was possessed by a devil residing within his abdomen. Timberlake argued that his actions were an attempt to cast out the malevolent entity.
Despite the efforts of paramedics, Sinclair tragically lost his life.
Timberlake’s confession came in August as part of a plea deal with the prosecution in an effort to secure a lighter sentence. This acceptance of guilt for manslaughter led to the withdrawal of the murder charge and the cancellation of the scheduled judge-only trial.
Esther Timberlake had previously been convicted of being an accessory to her son’s manslaughter for attempting to mislead the authorities by failing to disclose that Timberlake had punched the boy.
The court found that the couple had omitted crucial details of the incident from their initial account to the police, where Timberlake claimed his son had fallen on the stairs.
Judge Freeburn based Timberlake’s sentence on the premise that he had punched his son with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm but was of diminished responsibility at the time. Timberlake’s pretrial records indicated a diagnosis of schizophrenia and psychosis, with the forceful strike leading to his son’s untimely demise.
While the judge deemed Timberlake eligible for parole after serving nine years, he emphasized that the decision rests entirely with the parole board.
