High Court judge justice Wilson Museni has sentenced Yiga Jackson, a resident of Nateete in Rubaga division in Kampala district to 13 years in prison after being convicted of rape on his own plea.
Yiga is accused of forcefully engaging in sexual intercourse with a lady only identified as Taremwa at Orange Pub located in Nalukolongo, Rubaga Division on 9th March 2013.
Yiga who had earlier on pleaded not guilty, this morning made a U- Turn and agreed to the offence.
Immediately after the judge entered the plea of guilty, the State Attorney Samali Wakooli asked court to grant the convict a maximum sentence because he destroyed the victim’s dignity and respect.
“Dignity is granted by God and Article 24 in our national constitution states that people should be treated with dignity. The convict didn’t only stop at rapping the victim but went ahead and
assaulted her, injuring her face private parts,” he said.
However, defense counsel Francis Bironi in his mitigation asked court to be lenient to his client by granting him at most five years imprisonment.
“The convict is a family man with school going kids, he is suffering from liver disorders which needs regular medication that can’t be easily be accessed in Luzira and being that he has not wasted
court’s time and government resources we pray for a lenient sentence,” submitted Bironi.
The judge sentenced the convict to 10 years imprisonment, considering the 3 he spent on remand.
In his sentence, he pointed out that basing on recent population census where it was found that women outnumber men, and the fact that Yiga was a young man, he should have found suitable means of convincing a woman of his choice.