A Police Constable identified as PC Dancan Bainomugisha has been arrested on allegations of defiling a 13-year-old girl in Mbale Police barracks in Mbale city. The harrowing incident occurred on January 19, around 7 pm, when the suspect reportedly took the young girl into his uniformed quarters and engaged in sexual intercourse with her.
The survivor, a pupil in Primary four and resident of the police cell in Industrial City Division, Mbale, endured this horrifying experience. The Elgon regional Police Spokesperson, Mr. Rogers Taitika, confirmed the incident and the subsequent arrest of PC Dancan Bainomugisha.
“A defilement case has been opened against the officer number 72888 PC Dancan Bainomugisha, 25, a police officer attached at Mbale police Central Police Station in General duties. All evidence has been collected,” Mr. Taitika stated.
Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that after the assault, the suspect transported the survivor on a boda boda to her parents’ home in Butaleja District, approximately 50 kilometers away. The survivor had been residing with her uncle, Mahad Mweru, in a building located about 150 meters from Mbale police barracks.
Statements have been recorded from Mr. Mahad Mweru, the complainant, and the survivor to aid ongoing investigations. The survivor underwent a medical examination, documented on Police Form 3A (PF3A), a crucial step in the process of gathering evidence related to sexual violence.
Police have formally charged PC Dancan Bainomugisha with Aggravated Defilement, a serious offense with severe legal consequences. Simple defilement (involving a girl between 14 and 17 years of age) can lead to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while aggravated defilement (involving a girl below 13 years of age) carries a maximum sentence of death.
This shocking incident comes against the backdrop of national statistics on defilement cases. In 2022, a total of 12,580 cases of General Defilement (Aggravated/simple) were reported to the police, showing a decrease of 12.8% from the 14,436 cases reported in 2021. Out of the reported cases in 2022, 8,960 were simple defilement, and 3,620 were aggravated defilement.
Of the suspects arrested for defilement in 2022, 4,843 were charged, with 206 convictions, 08 discharges, and 4,502 awaiting trial. The report also highlights an increase in reported cases of rape, totaling 1,623 cases in 2022 compared to 1,486 cases in 2021, reflecting a 9.2% rise.
