The International Crimes Division of the High Court has sentenced a Kabale based teacher, Tukwasibwe Junior, to 46 years in prison for defiling six of his 12 students at a children’s home that he had setup in Gaaju Cell, Nyabikoni Ward, Central Division.
The court heard that between 2013 and 2018, under the guise of taking care of vulnerable girls in the area between the ages of 14 and 16, Tukwasibwe sexually exploited six of the 12 students under his care at the Community Based Organisation (CBO) where he was the director.
Tukwasibwe was sentenced to 46 years’ imprisonment for one charge of Aggravated Trafficking in Children, 10 years imprisonment for Trafficking in Persons, 46 years’ imprisonment for Aggravated Defilement and Rape respectively, 30 years’ imprisonment for the other charge of Aggravated Trafficking in Children, to run concurrently, and a fine of UGX 100,000 for Operating an Unapproved Children’s Home.
In addition, the Court ordered Tukwasibwe to pay compensation of UGX 5 million to each of the victims in respect of the first four charges totaling UGX 15 million.
While handing down the sentence, Justice Richard Wejuli Wabwire condemned Tukwasibwe for sexually exploiting vulnerable girls noting that the convict who is in his 30s, would serve 46 years for defilement, 30 years for aggravated trafficking, and another 46 years for rape, with all sentences running concurrently.
“The offenses were not isolated but formed part of a pattern of systematic exploitation. The Convict used deception, threats of death, expulsion and other forms of coercion to perpetrate and conceal his conduct. This breach of trust and calculated abuse of authority heightened the moral culpability of the Convict”, said Justice Wabwire.
