UN judge is jailed for six years at Oxford Crown Court
Lydia Mugambe, 50, was found to have taken “advantage of her status” over the Ugandan woman in the “most egregious way”, while she studied for a PhD in law at Oxford university.
Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, stopped the woman holding down steady employment and forced her to work as her maid and provide childcare, prosecutors said.
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Judge David Foxton, sentencing Mugambe at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, said it was a “very sad case”, outlining her legal accomplishments, including work concerning the protection of human rights.
Mr Foxton added that the defendant “showed absolutely no remorse” for her conduct and that she looked to “forcibly blame” the victim for what happened.
In a written statement, read to the court by prosecutor Caroline Haughey KC, the victim described living in “almost constant fear” due to Mugambe’s powerful standing in Uganda.
The young woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that she “can’t go back to Uganda” due to concerns of what may happen to her and added that she may never see her mother again.
In footage released by Thames Valley Police, Mugambe appeared shocked at the time when an officer said he was arresting her under the Modern Slavery Act.
She then had a conversation with the officer, in which she said: “I am a judge in my country, I even have immunity. I am not a criminal.”
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Caroline Haughey KC, prosecuting, told jurors during the trial that Mugambe exploited her victim by taking advantage of her lack of knowledge about employment rights and misleading her about why she came to the UK.
Jurors agreed that Mugambe conspired with Ugandan deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa to bring the young woman to the UK.
Prosecutors said they took part in a “very dishonest” trade-off, in which Mr Mugerwa arranged for the Ugandan High Commission to sponsor the woman’s entrance into the UK in exchange for Mugambe attempting to speak to a judge who was in charge of legal action in which Mr Mugerwa was named.
Jurors also accepted that the defendant conspired to intimidate the woman to have her withdraw her support for the prosecution, or the charges against her to be dropped.
According to her UN profile page, Mugambe was appointed to the body’s judicial roster in May 2023, three months after police were called to her address in Oxfordshire.
