A 10-year-old kid under the care of an American couple in Uganda has been found guilty of suffering from cruel and inhumane treatment.
The boy, who is currently in a children’s home, received an order for the parents to pay more than $26,000 after they were found guilty of six offences.
As she began to deliver her ruling, Justice Alice Komuhangi described the circumstances as a systemic issue without any systems in place to care for children of the age of ten.
“This is the reason the victim ended up in the custody of the accused individuals, who are not Ugandan citizens and are also ill,” Komuhangi stated. “The child needed support and assistance because he had lost his father and been left behind by his own mother.”
The youngster, who was in foster care at the time of the American couple’s arrest in December 2022, was the subject of extreme torture, according to charges brought against Nicholas Scott Spencer and his wife Mackenzie Leigh Mathias Spencer.
The boy was kept naked, kept apart from other kids in a room, forced to sleep on a wooden slab without a pillow, and his schooling was terminated, according to the prosecution.
The youngster was served frozen food and forced to sit in a single posture with his knees crossed and folded while being watched by CCTV cameras in the room, according to the prosecution’s statement.
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After entering a guilty plea to charges of aggravated child trafficking, the Spencers were freed on bond in March.
On Tuesday, Judge Komuhangi convicted the Spencers guilty of six crimes, including child maltreatment, employment without a work permit, and cruel and degrading treatment of a kid.
Mackenzie Spencer was given a $1,000 punishment by the judge for her illegal stay in Uganda; she may choose to pay the fee or go to jail for two years.
For neglecting his child, the judge fined Scott Spencer $400. If he is unable to pay, he will be sentenced to six months in prison.
Additionally, Judge Komuhangi mandated that they must give the child $13,200 in compensation by Tuesday at the latest.
“This child should also receive compensation, and each of you is expected to do so to the extent of 50 million Uganda shillings, for a total of 100 million Uganda shillings,” Komuhangi stated.
The Spencers will have to spend time in jail if they are unable to pay the fine.
In the interim, the boy is being cared for at a children’s home while a trustee is appointed and granted access to funds.
VOA
