KAMPALA, UGANDA — A United Nations judge has been sentenced to six years and four months imprisonment after being convicted of forcing a young Ugandan woman to work as a domestic slave in the United Kingdom.
Lydia Mugambe, 50, a High Court judge in Uganda and a UN judicial roster member who was pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford, was found to have kept a young Ugandan woman at her residence, compelling her to perform unpaid work as a maid and nanny.
Mugambe was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, following her conviction in March for modern slavery offenses. During sentencing, Judge David Foxton stated that the defendant displayed “absolutely no remorse” for her actions and had attempted to “forcibly blame” the victim.
The court heard that Mugambe fraudulently secured a visa for the woman, falsely stating that she would be employed as a private servant at the diplomatic residence of John Mugerwa, Uganda’s former deputy high commissioner in London.
Prosecutors argued that Mr. Mugerwa facilitated the victim’s visa application knowing she would be subjected to servitude under Mugambe. In return, Mugambe was expected to provide assistance to Mr. Mugerwa in relation to a separate legal matter in Uganda where he was a defendant.
The trial revealed that Mugambe paid for the victim’s flight to the UK and collected her from the airport. However, upon arrival, the young woman was forced into domestic servitude at Mugambe’s home in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Judge Foxton described the case as “very sad,” noting Mugambe’s prior accomplishments in law, including her work on human rights protection.
In a written statement read to the court by prosecutor Caroline Haughey KC, the victim recounted living in “almost constant fear” due to Mugambe’s influential position in Uganda. The woman, whose identity is legally protected, stated that she “can’t go back to Uganda” due to safety concerns and expressed the fear that she may never see her mother again.
Ms. Haughey argued that Mugambe exploited the victim’s lack of understanding regarding employment rights and deceived her about the true purpose of her travel to the UK. She emphasized the “clear and significant imbalance of power within the relationship” between Mugambe and the victim.
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The Crown Prosecution Service authorized charges against Mr. Mugerwa for conspiracy, but he was shielded from prosecution due to diplomatic immunity, which the Ugandan Government declined to waive.
Mugambe had denied the allegations of forcing the young Ugandan woman to perform household chores, claiming she “always” treated her with love, care, and patience.
Chief Superintendent Ben Clark of Thames Valley Police stated that there was “no doubt” Mugambe was aware she was committing offenses. “Modern slavery is an under reported crime and I hope that the bravery of the victim in this case encourages other victims of modern slavery to come forward,” he said.
A spokesperson for the University of Oxford expressed the institution’s “appall” at their student’s crimes, adding that the university is initiating its own disciplinary process which could lead to the removal of students convicted of serious criminal offenses.
