Lydia Mugambe, a 50-year-old United Nations judge, has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison by Oxford Crown Court after being found guilty of enslaving a young woman under her care.
Judge Mugambe, a prominent figure in international law and formerly a respected judicial officer in Uganda before her appointment to a UN tribunal, was convicted after a detailed trial revealed shocking abuse of power.
Prosecutors said she brought the unnamed woman to the UK under false pretenses and subjected her to degrading conditions, forcing her into domestic servitude with limited freedom, no pay, and constant surveillance.
The court heard that the victim was coerced and intimidated, with threats of deportation and repercussions against her family if she spoke out. Testimonies highlighted the emotional and psychological toll the ordeal had on the young woman, who is now receiving support from victim services.
Sentencing Mugambe, the Judge David Foxton,sitting found that Mugabe had presented herself as a benefactor to the victim but ended up subjecting her to unpaid domestic servitude.
He described her actions as a “gross betrayal of trust and a serious violation of human dignity.”
He emphasized that her high status and legal expertise made the crime even more egregious adding that she showed no remorse and sought to blame her victim as she was sentenced in a very sad case of modern -day slavery involving the exploitation of a young Ugandan woman she trafficked to the United Kingdom.
The United Nations has yet to issue a formal statement, though insiders suggest her position will be reviewed. Human rights advocates have welcomed the verdict as a reminder that no one is above the law, regardless of their title or status.
This case marks a significant fall from grace for a woman once hailed for her commitment to justice and women’s rights.