Fred Muwanga, the man who gained notoriety for defiling a 3-mont-old baby in 1999, has been found guilty of the offense by the High Court in Kampala.
When the crime was made public seven year ago, the news caused an uproar in Kawempe - the division in which Muwanga and his victim lived. A mob attempted to kidnap the man from police custody with the intention of lynching him.
Testifying in the case against Muwanga in August this year, the victim's mother, Florence Lubwama, told court that the accused man worked at her father's shop for three years prior to committing the crime. She said that on the day of the defilement, she asked Muwanga to help her carry her baby home. However Muwanga did not show up for about two hours. When he finally appeared, she noticed something unusual about the baby and found that the infant was bleeding profusely from her private parts.
The presiding judge, Justice Opio Aweri, said that prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Muwanga committed the crime. He ruled that Muwanga was guilty and should be punished.
Muwanga remained silent as the judge read his ruling.
Justice Aweri is due to sentence Muwanga this afternoon. He faces a possible death sentence for his crime.
Muwanga's lawyer, Mark Bwengye, however asked the judge to be lenient, on grounds that his client was mentally ill. Bwengye also said that his client is suffering from an anti-social personality disorder and should be given a lighter sentence.
