Woman,24 to serve 15 years for defiling boy

A woman convicted of defiling a 16-year old boy has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Judith Wandera, 24, had been convicted by principal magistrate Joan Wambilyanga after the court found her guilty of sexually molesting the Standard Seven pupil on various occasions.

The court heard that the mother of one engaged with the minor in an illicit affair and ignored warnings to end the relationship that threatened his education.

Because of the affair, the minor dropped out of school and moved in with her.

“The boy was rescued on July 7, last year, before the accused was arrested,” prosecutor Nyakundi Mukaya told court.

Prosecution incriminated

The magistrate noted all evidence by the prosecution incriminated the woman who never brought any witnesses to defend her.

Wandera had been charged with two counts, one being that of engaging in an indecent act with a child, a crime she admitted to committing, but said she did not know he was a child.

Witnesses, including the minor’s parents, said the duo had been arrested twice by the police and cautioned against the affair.

The boy's mother said they opposed the relationship and warned the woman to stay away from her son but she refused.

Mukaya told court medical evidence from specimens collected from the duo confirmed that the woman and the schoolboy had been having an intimate affair.

He noted that the boy had lived with the accused for more than four months.

After the rescue, he said, the boy was taken to a correctional facility before he was released back to his parents.

Parents of the boy told court their son stopped taking school seriously after he met the woman. They sought the intervention of police after the boy started living with her.

In her defense, Wandera said she did not know her lover was a minor. She said the boy was also a drug addict by the time they met.

“We met at a drinking joint one evening in April 2016, in Kondele, where he even offered to buy me drinks. We exchanged phone numbers and started dating,” said Wandera.

And yesterday, dressed in a black dotted dress, a calm Wandera asked the court to show her leniency and even pardon her, arguing that she was the sole bread winner for her family.

Bread winner

“I am the sole bread winner for my mother and my child. That is why I am pleading with the court to forgive me,” Wandera said.

However, Wambilyanga said the crime she had committed was serious, noting that the woman did not make any attempt to ascertain the age of the boy even after she was warned about the affair.

“There was no evidence produced to show the minor had deceived her about his age,” said the magistrate.

She saidthe prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

“After considering all the evidence presented and your statements, this court sentences you to 15 years in prison,” Wambilyanga said.

Mildred Wandera, a sister to the accused, said the decision has left their family broken. “This was a feud between families and a witch hunt against my sister,” she claimed.