United Nations judge forced woman to work as slave after tricking her to come to UK, court hears

18 February 2025, 22:15

A United Nations criminal tribunal judge deceived a young woman into coming to the UK to work as her slave while she studied for a PhD in law at the University of Oxford, a court has heard.

Lydia Mugambe told police officers the young Ugandan woman she allegedly tricked into coming to the UK was "excited about the pound".

Mugambe took "advantage of her status" over the woman in the "most egregious way" while she studied for a PhD in law at the University of Oxford, prosecutors say.

The 49-year-old, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, stopped her holding down steady employment and forced her to work as her maid and to provide childcare for free, it is alleged.

On Tuesday, jurors at Oxford Crown Court were shown body-worn footage of police officers attending Mugambe's address in Oxfordshire on February 10 2023 after receiving reports that the woman was being held as a slave.

The woman, who was found packing in a bedroom, told the officers that Mugambe would not let her leave the house until she paid her money for her travel to the UK, the court heard.

She said that she had arrived in the country in July 2022 on a work visa and that she did not want to stay at Mugambe's house, jurors were told.

Meanwhile, Mugambe was downstairs telling an officer that the woman was "acting funny" and that she wanted to do more work rather than providing childcare, the court heard.

She also said that the woman did not owe her money, was not packing to leave, that she had a key to the property and was free to go.

The defendant said she suspected the woman wanted to work for more money.

In body-worn footage, she can be heard saying: "I think it's one of two things. She wants to work more. This is what happens exactly when they come, they get excited about the pound and then they want to work much more than the terms they came on, so that's what she wants."

Mugambe could also be heard saying: "She doesn't want to go, who wants to go back to Africa when she can work?

"For me, I'm a judge, I'm OK but if you didn't have much to do... she would want to stay."

The woman said she had worked for Mugambe in Uganda before she was asked to travel to the UK, the court heard.

In pre-recorded evidence she said that Mugambe had told her she could find employment outside of her childcare work, jurors were told.

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Mugambe is accused of engaging in "illegal folly" with Ugandan deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa in which they conspired to arrange for the young woman to come to the UK.

The defendant is also alleged to have attempted to "intimidate" her alleged victim into dropping the case.

She denies conspiring to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.

The trial continues.