United Nations judge and Ugandan High Court official Lydia Mugambe has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for keeping a young Ugandan woman as a domestic slave in her UK home
The 50-year-old, who was pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford, was convicted in March of modern slavery charges. She was sentenced on Friday at Oxford Crown Court.
Police discovered the victim working unpaid as a maid and nanny in Mugambe’s house in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The court heard she had been lured to the UK under false pretenses with a fraudulent visa sponsored by Uganda’s former deputy high commissioner, John Mugerwa, who claimed she would be employed at his London residence.
Instead, the woman was taken directly to Mugambe’s home and forced into servitude. Prosecutors said Mugerwa agreed to sponsor the visa in exchange for Mugambe’s legal support in a separate court case in Uganda. While charges were approved against Mugerwa for conspiracy, he was not prosecuted due to diplomatic immunity.
During sentencing, Judge David Foxton criticized Mugambe for showing “absolutely no remorse” and attempting to blame the victim. “This is a very sad case, not least because of your previous involvement in human rights law,” he told the court.
Bodycam footage shown during the trial revealed Mugambe trying to avoid arrest by invoking diplomatic immunity, saying, “I even have immunity.”
In a statement read in court, the unnamed victim described living in “almost constant fear” due to Mugambe’s political clout in Uganda and said she feared she might never see her mother again.
“She exploited a clear and significant imbalance of power,” said prosecutor Caroline Haughey KC. “The victim had no knowledge of her rights and was misled from the beginning.”
Chief Superintendent Ben Clark of Thames Valley Police praised the victim’s bravery and added, “There is no doubt that Mugambe knew she was committing offences. Modern slavery is a hidden and under-reported crime, and we hope this case encourages more victims to come forward.”
The University of Oxford has expressed its deep concern, stating it was “appalled” by the case and had begun disciplinary proceedings that could lead to Mugambe’s removal from the institution.
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