Ugandan judge Lydia Mugambe was jailed in the UK for enslaving a young woman as an unpaid maid, showing no remorse despite her human rights background.

A senior judge who had served both the United Nations and Uganda’s High Court has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison after being found guilty of enslaving a young woman who worked as a maid in the United Kingdom.

Lydia Mugambe was convicted by the Oxford Crown Court, which determined that she exploited her position and status in a severe and deliberate manner.

Prosecutors revealed that Mugambe had deceived a young Ugandan woman into traveling to the UK in 2022, under the pretense of legitimate employment, only to subject her to unpaid domestic and childcare labor. At the time, Mugambe was pursuing a PhD at Oxford University.

In addition to her own actions, Mugambe was found to have colluded with John Leonard Mugerwa, who was then Uganda’s deputy high commissioner in London. Together, they facilitated the victim’s entry into the UK by providing false information on her visa application.

Mugambe was convicted in March on four counts: conspiracy to breach UK immigration law, facilitating travel with intent to exploit, forced labor, and conspiring to intimidate a witness after legal proceedings had begun.

Two of these convictions fell under the provisions of Britain’s Modern Slavery Act.

During sentencing, Judge David Foxton referred to the matter as a “very sad case,” especially in light of Mugambe’s previously notable contributions to human rights advocacy through her legal work.

Foxton stated that Mugambe had shown no remorse, emphasizing that she continued to portray herself as the victim without justification.

A statement from the victim, read in court, described her life under Mugambe’s control as one of “almost constant fear.” The victim expressed that, due to Mugambe’s influential position in Uganda, she now feels unable to return home and fears she may never see her mother again.