By Milton Bandiho
The High Court in Bushenyi district on Wednesday convicted a 60-year-old man on charges of aggravated defilement.
The court presided over by Lady Justice Joyce Kavuma ,the Mbarara High Court Resident Judge heard that Mr. Muguta Fred Alais as Murungi committed the offence in 2018.
Justice Kavuma, found Muguta, a resident of Bugango, Kabingo Parish in Bushenyi district guilty of defiling three children aged four, three, and two.
Prosecution led by Mr. Parton Baguma the resident state attorney in Bushenyi told the court that Muguta who was a labourer committed the offence when the mother of the victims was away.
“He defiled one after another when others were watching him, he wested court’s time we will not ask this court to pronounce death or life sentence on the convict but rather a 70-year jail sentence in order to keep this person out of the society,” said Mr. Baguma.
The presiding judge agreed with the prosecution, convicting Muguta before setting Tuesday, December 6 2022 as the date for sentencing.
“The prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt in all the three accounts of aggravated defilement and I set December 06 as a sentencing day,” said Justice Kavuma.
However, the convict asked court to give him a lighter sentence since he is of advanced age saying he wants to die at his home.
“Am of advanced age if the court can give me a lighter sentence like community work so that I can go home and die in my house, not in prison,” he said.
When contacted, Ms. Faith Amanya Betega the Bushenyi district probation and welfare officer said, many of the cases are not reported and girls are falling into the hands of their relatives.
“It’s challenging and so painful stakeholders should work together because when I was doing victim assessment report I told them that there is life after,” she said.
