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The High court in Fort Portal has sentenced a 19-year-old man to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to aggravated defilement.
Samuel Amanyire was convicted on Monday during a session presided over by Justice Vincent Wagona. He had initially denied the charges when he first appeared in court last week.
However, when the case came up for hearing, Amanyire changed his plea to guilty and requested to enter a plea bargain with the prosecution and the victim’s family. Justice Wagona granted the request, and following a plea bargain session held in chambers, the court sentenced Amanyire to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The conviction stems from allegations that Amanyire defiled a nine-year-old girl (identity withheld) in Nyamirima Zone, Ruteete sub-county, Kabarole district. Court heard that the accused, who was working as a casual labourer for the victim’s family, allegedly committed the offences on two occasions in March 2025.
Prosecution, led by Fort Portal resident state attorney Harriet Adubango, said the incidents occurred at the victim’s home. According to the prosecution, the first incident took place on the night of March 19, 2025, when the victim was alone in the kitchen at her grandmother’s residence.
The suspect allegedly threatened her and assaulted her. A second incident reportedly occurred on March 22 at around 1:00 p.m., when the accused allegedly chased away the victim’s younger sibling, took the child into the house and assaulted her again.
The matter came to light when the victim’s mother reportedly entered the house and found the suspect in the act, raising an alarm that led to his eventual arrest.
Ruth Ongom, the lawyer representing the victim, said the child’s parents welcomed the sentence, describing it as justice served. She noted that the accused opted for a plea bargain after realising the strength of the prosecution’s case, which included testimony from the victim, a police officer and the village defence secretary who effected the arrest.
“He realised that with the available testimonies, he would likely be found guilty and chose to seek a plea bargain,” Ongom said.
She added that plea bargaining can expedite justice, particularly where witnesses are available and willing to testify, noting that some suspects initially plead not guilty in the hope that witnesses may fail to appear.
According to the Uganda Police Force 2025 Annual Crime Report, 10,492 defilement cases were reported that year, of which 7,019 were classified as simple and 3,473 as aggravated.
Related
, https://observer.ug/news/man-19-jailed-for-15-years-over-defiling-9-year-old-girl-in-fort-portal/
