By Hanning Mbabazi
Masaka: Masaka high court Presided over by Justice Winfred Nabisinde has sentenced a 32 year old man to 20 years imprisonment for defiling his step daughter
Moses Byaruhanga, a resident of Rakai district has been convicted after pleading guilty to the offense of aggravated defilement.
The state prosecutor Amina Akasa told court that Byarugaba committed the offence on May 4, 2015 at Kiswera village, Kyalugaba Parish, Kibanda Sub-County, Rakai district when he forced his 8 year old step daughter into the sexual act.
Akasa added that Byarugaba took advantage of the absence of the minor’s mother to sexually assault the hearing impaired girl.
Court also noted that Byarugaba was HIV Positive, which he contracted into the innocent young girl.
At the juncture, Akasa asked court to give Byarugaba, a maximum punishment because his action to the victim was brutal and traumatizing and that as a stepfather to the victim he had a duty of protecting her.
Whereas the defence Consel Andrew Tusingwire asked court to give a light punishment to Byarugaba because he did not waste courts time since he pleaded guilty to the charges and he is remorseful for his actions.
Nabisinde said that Byarugaba put the innocent girl’s life of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases saying that 25 years imprisonment was appropriate to his offence but she deducted 1 year for pleading guilty and 4 years he has spent on remand sentencing him to 20 years imprisonment
