Lydia Mugambe: UN judge accused of forcing a woman into slavery jailed

A United Nations judge has been jailed for six years and four months after being accused of forcing a woman to work as a domestic slave.

Lydia Mugambe, 50, was jailed at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after she was found guilty of modern day slavery offences in March. During sentencing, Judge David Foxton told the defendant she “showed absolutely no remorse” for her actions and she had intended to “forcibly blame” the victim for what happened, BBC reported.

In March, a British jury found the 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 Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, forced the Ugandan woman to work as a maid and provide free childcare. According to the Associated Press, Mugambe 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.

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.

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.”

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.