Gomba, Uganda | URN | Christopher Damulira, a Boda boda rider and resident of Kanoni in Gomba district has earned himself 30-years in jail for raping his passenger. He appeared on Tuesday 25th, February 2020 afternoon before Lady Kustice Dr. Winifred Nabisinde in Mpigi High Court who found him guilty of raping his 17-year-old victim.
Prosecution told court that on the evening of March 29, 2018, Damulira was hired by his victim to take her home some miles away from Kanoni town. However, along the way, the convict pretended that he had run out of fuel in the middle of a forest.
According to prosecution, the Damulira tried to seduce his victim but he was turned down. He later wrestled her to the ground, tore her knickers and forcefully had sexual intercourse with her. While appearing before court, Damulira first pleaded not guilty forcing court to commence trial.
However, the Damulira changed his plea to guilty when court was about to decide whether or no he had a case to answer and pleaded for a lenient sentence. Delivering her judgment on Tuesday afternoon, Justice Nabisinde noted that the convict wasn’t and had wasted court’s time.
“When the victim appeared before the court and narrated the evil things that happened to her, Damulira seemed unbothered and insisted that he hadn’t committed the crime. That experience alone was torture to the victim. He further wasted this court’s time and government resources only to plead guilty at the last minute,” pointed out Justice Nabisinde.
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According to Justice Nabisinde, the act of raping a passenger breached trust in Boda boda operators who are expected to execute their work diligently and gives a bad impression to many other good operators. She explained that people like Damulira are making girls and women feel unsafe in their communities.
She handed Damulira a jail term of 30 years considering his age and the fact that he is a first time offender. He deducted the one and ten years the convict has spent on remand. The maximum penalty for rape is death by hanging.
