A British jury has found a United Nations judge guilty of forcing a young woman to work as a slave after deceiving her into traveling to the United Kingdom.
Prosecutors claimed Lydia Mugambe forced the Ugandan woman to work as a maid and provide free childcare. According to the Associated Press, Mugambe, 49, a high court judge in Uganda, was pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford at the time of the offenses.
During the trial, prosecution counsel Caroline Haughey told jurors that Mugambe “exploited and abused” the victim, tricking her into traveling to the UK and taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights.
RELATED STORIES
To obtain the woman’s visa, prosecutors claimed Mugambe set up an arrangement at the Ugandan High Commission in London, pretending that the woman would work in the diplomat’s office and home. After arriving in Britain, she was brought to Mugambe’s house and forced to work as an unpaid nanny. Her passport and visa documents were seized from her.
After some time, the victim turned to a friend for assistance, which prompted the police to get involved.
Mugambe denied all charges. Jurors at Oxford Crown Court found her guilty of conspiring to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
Mugambe appeared to be sick, so the court was cleared. She is set to be sentenced on May 2.
Eran Cutliffe of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division said, “Lydia Mugambe used her position to exploit a vulnerable young woman, controlling her freedom and making her work without payment,”
“Thanks to the victim’s courage in coming forward it has been possible to bring Ms. Mugambe to justice and be held accountable for her actions.”
According to BBC, Mugambe looked surprised in video made public by Thames Valley Police in which an officer announced that he was taking her into custody under the Modern Slavery Act.
She then told the officer, “I am a judge in my country; I even have immunity. I am not a criminal.”
When the officer asked Mugambe to confirm her immunity, she said, “Yes, I have a diplomatic passport.”
The defendant concluded the conversation by adding, “I came here as a student; I don’t need anyone to work for me.”
“I didn’t come withher; she asked me because she has worked at my home before; she asked me.”
During her trial, it was stated that Mugambe wanted to “obtain someone to make her life easier and at the least possible cost to herself.”
She denied forcing the young Ugandan woman to perform housework, claiming she “always” treated her with love, care, and compassion.
The young woman Mugambe deceived into traveling to the UK, who is not named for legal reasons, previously told the court that she felt “stuck” and “lonely” after her working hours were reduced short.
Mugambe’s United Nations profile page shows that she was appointed to one of the global body’s international courts in May 2023.
