KAMPALA (Reuters) – A couple from the United States, previously charged with aggravated torture and child trafficking in Uganda, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to lesser charges. As a result, they will pay fines ranging up to 105 million shillings ($28,000), according to a court ruling.
The couple, identified as Nicholas Spencer and Mackenzie Leigh Mathias Spencer, both in their early 30s and hailing from South Carolina, were arrested in December last year. Initially, they were accused of committing serious offenses against a 10-year-old boy they had been fostering and living with in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
The charges of aggravated child trafficking and aggravated child torture carry severe penalties in Uganda, including the death penalty and life imprisonment, respectively. However, both defendants denied these charges.
In a plea bargain with prosecutors, High Court Judge Alice Kyomuhangi announced on Tuesday that the defendants, who have resided in Uganda since 2017 and were released on bail in March, agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges.
Mackenzie Leigh Mathias Spencer pleaded guilty to inflicting cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, for which she was sentenced to a fine of 3.36 million shillings or two years in prison. Nicholas Spencer admitted one count of child neglect and was fined 1.5 million shillings or six months in jail.
The couple’s lawyer, David Mpanga, confirmed that they had chosen to pay the fines for both charges.
Additionally, the couple pleaded guilty to staying illegally in Uganda and working without permits. They were sentenced to two months in prison, but this time was deducted from their period of remand. They were also ordered to compensate the child with 50 million shillings each.
Judge Kyomuhangi stated, “The child was in need of help and support, having lost his father and been abandoned by his own mother. Unfortunately, the accused persons failed to manage his peculiar behaviors.” She made this remark while delivering her ruling.
Mpanga informed Reuters that the boy had psychiatric issues, including aggressive and anti-social behavior. He further explained that the couple was trying to handle a challenging child but, lacking parenting experience, “they perhaps went too far.”
($1 = 3,780.0000 Ugandan shillings)
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; editing by George Obulutsa and Mark Heinrich)
