A UK court has convicted United Nations judge Lydia Mugambe, 49, of exploiting a young woman as a domestic slave. Prosecutors stated that Mugambe abused her position of power by preventing the victim from securing stable employment and forcing her to work as a maid and provide free childcare.
On Thursday, Oxford Crown Court found Mugambe—who also serves as a High Court judge in Uganda—guilty of multiple charges, including conspiracy to facilitate a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel with intent to exploit, forced labor, and witness intimidation.
During the trial, prosecuting attorney Caroline Haughey KC told jurors: “Lydia Mugambe exploited and abused [the victim], deceiving her about the purpose of her coming to the UK and taking advantage of her lack of knowledge regarding her employment rights.”
Jurors accepted the prosecution’s claim that Mugambe, while pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford, engaged in “illegal folly” with Ugandan Deputy High Commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa. They conspired to bring the young woman to the UK under false pretenses.
Prosecutors described the arrangement as a “very dishonest” trade-off, where Mugerwa helped secure the Ugandan High Commission’s sponsorship of the victim’s UK entry in exchange for Mugambe attempting to influence a judge overseeing one of Mugerwa’s legal cases.
The trial revealed that Mugambe sought to “obtain someone to make her life easier at the lowest possible cost.” She denied the allegations, claiming she always treated the victim with “love, care, and patience.”
The victim, whose identity is protected, testified that she felt “lonely” and “stuck” due to restrictions on her work hours. Notably, Mugambe was appointed to the UN’s judicial roster in May 2023—just three months after police were called to her Oxfordshire residence.
Story by the Independent UK
