UN judge jailed for trafficking, enslaving housekeeper

A Ugandan High Court judge and UN jurist has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for keeping a young Ugandan woman in domestic servitude at her Oxfordshire home.

Lydia Mugambe, 50, was pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford when authorities discovered she had trafficked the woman into the UK under false pretenses, forcing her to work unpaid as a maid and nanny.

Oxford Crown Court found Mugambe guilty of modern slavery offenses in March. During Friday's sentencing, Judge David Foxton condemned her lack of accountability, stating she "showed absolutely no remorse" and attempted to blame the victim for her circumstances.

The victim, whose identity is protected, was brought into the UK using a visa arranged by Mugambe. Officially, the visa claimed she would be employed at the diplomatic residence of John Mugerwa, Uganda’s then-deputy high commissioner in London. However, prosecutors revealed that Mugerwa, who sponsored the visa, was aware the woman would instead be working in Mugambe’s private residence in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

In exchange, Mugambe allegedly offered to support Mugerwa in a separate legal case back in Uganda.

After arriving in the UK, the young woman was isolated and compelled to perform domestic chores for no pay, effectively living as a slave. “I lived in almost constant fear,” she said in a statement read in court by prosecutor Caroline Haughey KC. She added that returning to Uganda would be dangerous given Mugambe’s influence, and she fears she may never reunite with her mother.

The court heard that Mugambe misled the woman about the nature of her travel and exploited her ignorance of UK employment laws. "There was a clear and significant imbalance of power within the relationship," said Ms. Haughey.

Despite denying the charges and claiming she treated the woman with "love, care and patience," Mugambe was convicted of exploiting her victim over an extended period.

The case has also drawn diplomatic complications. The Crown Prosecution Service had sought to charge John Mugerwa with conspiracy, but diplomatic immunity protected him, and the Ugandan government refused to lift it.

Chief Superintendent Ben Clark of Thames Valley Police emphasized the significance of the case. “There is no doubt Mugambe knew what she was doing was criminal. Modern slavery is an under-reported crime, and we hope the courage shown by the victim in this case inspires others to speak out,” he said.

The University of Oxford has expressed its condemnation of Mugambe’s actions. "The university is appalled by the crimes committed by one of its students," a spokesperson said. "We are now initiating our own disciplinary procedures, which include the potential removal of any student convicted of serious criminal offenses."

Mugambe’s legal career previously included notable work in human rights protection—making the case all the more tragic, Judge Foxton said.