•Ugandan Judge Lydia Mugambe
A UK court yesterday jailed a United Nations judge for six years and four months after she was found guilty of forcing a young woman to work as her maid.
Ugandan judge Lydia Mugambe, 50, was convicted under Britain’s Modern Slavery Act of taking “advantage of her status” over the victim while studying law at Oxford University, reports AFP.
The jury at Oxford Crown Court found Mugambe guilty of conspiring to break UK immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
The court was told Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, forced the victim to work as her maid and provide childcare for free, while preventing her from holding a steady job.
Judge David Foxton outlined Mugambe’s legal accomplishments in his sentence, adding that it was a “very sad case”.
Mugambe engaged in “illegal folly” to arrange for the young woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to come to the UK.
She was also convicted of trying to intimidate the woman to persuade her to drop the case.
The court was told in a written statement during the trial that the victim described living in “almost constant fear” as a result of Mugambe’s powerful standing in their home country.
