UN judge convicted of forcing woman to work as slave

A United Nations judge has been convicted of forcing a young woman to work as a slave.

Prosecutors said Lydia Mugambe, 49, took “advantage of her status” over her victim in the “most egregious way” by preventing her from holding down steady employment and forcing her to work as her maid and to provide childcare for free.

Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, was found guilty on Thursday 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 following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

As the verdicts were given there were gasps from the public gallery and the defendant appeared unwell and the court was cleared.

Caroline Haughey KC, prosecuting, told jurors during the trial: “Lydia Mugambe has exploited and abused (her alleged victim), taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights to properly paid employment and deceiving her as to the purpose of her coming to the UK.”

Jurors accepted the prosecution’s case that Mugambe – who was studying for a law PhD at the University of Oxford – had engaged in “illegal folly” with Ugandan deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa in which they conspired to arrange for the young woman to come to the UK.

Prosecutors said the pair participated 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 Mr Mugerwa was named in.

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.

The charge said Mugambe contacted a pastor to assist in making contact with the young Ugandan woman, arranged for members of the woman’s family to be contacted so they could persuade her to drop the case, and arranged for an email to be sent directly to her.

Mugambe’s trial heard she had the intention of “obtaining someone to make her life easier and at the least possible cost to herself”.

Mugambe denied forcing the young Ugandan woman to do household chores and said she “always” treated her with love, care and patience.

The young woman Mugambe tricked into coming to the UK, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court previously she felt “lonely” and “stuck” after her working hours were limited.

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.

Mugambe will be sentenced at the same court on May 2.