UN Judge Jailed for keeping Housekeeper as Slave Abuse

A United Nations judge has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for making a woman work as a domestic slave.

Lydia Mugambe, who is 50 years old, was studying for her doctorate in law at the University of Oxford when it was discovered that she had a young woman from Uganda living in her house, doing unpaid work as a maid and nanny.

Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, received her sentence at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty of modern slavery crimes in March.

During the sentencing, Judge David Foxton noted that Mugambe showed “absolutely no remorse” for what she did and tried to “forcibly blame” the victim for her own situation.

In a surprising moment caught on police body camera, Mugambe told officers, “I even have immunity,” as they were arresting her.

Mugambe had illegally arranged a visa for the young woman, which falsely claimed she would be paid for her work as a private servant at the home of John Mugerwa, who is Uganda’s former deputy high commissioner in London.

Prosecutors revealed that Mr. Mugerwa sponsored the victim’s visa, fully knowing that she would actually be working as a slave for Mugambe. In return, Mugambe was supposed to help Mugerwa with a different court case in Uganda where he was a defendant.

The trial explained how Mugambe paid for the victim’s flight and picked her up from the airport, only for the young woman to end up as a slave in the judge’s home in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

Judge Foxton called the case “very sad,” especially considering Mugambe’s impressive legal accomplishments, including her work in protecting human rights.

In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Caroline Haughey KC, the victim shared how she lived in “almost constant fear” because of Mugambe’s powerful position in Uganda.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, shared her worries about going back to Uganda and the chance of never seeing her mother again.

Ms. Haughey stressed that Mugambe exploited the victim’s situation.