Gift Kisaame, a 22-year-old man, was sentenced to five years in prison for defiling and impregnating a 17-year-old schoolgirl named Doroka Mutesi.
The offense took place between 2020 and 2022, when schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The judge, Winfred Nabisinde, noted that defilement carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. However, she said that Kisaame was a young person who had just attained maturity and deserved a reformatory sentence. She also said that the sentence should serve as a warning to other potential offenders.
Nabisinde said that Kisaame’s act had exposed the victim to the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy at a young age.
She ordered that the eleven months and seven days that Kisaame had spent on remand be considered part of his sentence. He was also given the option to appeal the judgment within 14 days.