A 75-year-old ailing man, who has been on remand at Luzira Prison for three years following his arrest on aggravated defilement charges, pleaded with a High Court judge in Kampala to set him free after being pardoned by the victim’s family.
Godfrey Ssozi, a resident of Bulenga ‘B’ Village in Wakiso District, appeared before Justice Margaret Mutonyi on Wednesday, alongside 25-year-old Sam Nyeba, who has also been battling separate defilement charges. Nyeba’s victim was aged 17 at the time of the offense.
Frail-looking Ssozi had been carried to the courtroom by Nyeba, with whom they have been on remand since 2021. They were both convicted on their own volition before pleading for pardon.
“I apologize for the wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness. My prayer has always been that I’m released so that I can spend my last days on earth in the hands of my relatives at home,” pleaded Ssozi, an HIV patient who was remanded in January 2021 following his arrest for allegedly defiling a neighbor’s 7-year-old daughter.
Court heard that Ssozi had confessed to committing the offense in 2021 when he was arrested and taken to his village LCI chairman. He was later taken to the police and processed for prosecution.
His plea on Wednesday moved Justice Mutonyi, who sentenced him to the time he’s served on remand.
“This court hereby releases the convict (Ssozi) basing on ill-health because he is admitted at Luzira Murchison Bay Hospital. He cannot walk by himself without support. Both the convict (Ssozi) and the mother of the victim have reconciled after his apology and being forgiven,” Justice Mutonyi said.
**The Offense:**
Court heard that the victim had been sent to Ssozi’s home to pick banana peelings at the time of the offense.
“He asked her to enter his house before inviting her to his bed. The suspect (now convict) told the victim to sleep on top of him before he started touching her body, including her private parts. He later undressed and had sexual intercourse with the victim,” reads the indictment in part.
Court documents further indicate that Ssozi was found with the victim at the scene, which led to his arrest by residents and taken to the area local authorities where he first confessed and pleaded for forgiveness.
**Nyeba’s Case:**
The judge also set Nyeba free and cautioned him against committing more offenses, including claiming the girl he was accused of defiling.
“I have released you but do not go back to look for the girl (victim). Do not reclaim her despite being of age now, saying that she is your wife who led to your imprisonment for three years. Do not fight because you will be imprisoned again,” she said.
According to court records, Nyeba, a resident of Lubyakiro Village in Wakiso District, was accused of defiling the girl with whom he had eloped on October 15, 2020.
Nyeba was first charged with the offense of trafficking in persons, which was later amended to simple defilement for which he was remanded.
While appearing in court, Nyeba pleaded for forgiveness and was also set free.
**Defilement Cases in Uganda:**
The latest police crime report has revealed that a total of 13,144 juveniles were defiled in 2023, of whom 383 were defiled by persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Out of the total victims, 12,818 were females while 326 were males. At least 97 of these were defiled by parents, 90 by guardians, and 211 were defiled by their teachers. Defilement victims with disabilities were 131.
