US couple face death penalty in Uganda for child trafficking
One American a couple are facing the death penalty in Uganda for “repeated torture” and ultimately trafficking in one of their three local adopted children from a Christian ministry.
Nicholas Spencer and wife Mackenzie Leigh Mathias Spencerboth 32 years old, both pleaded not guilty last week after being arrested on December 9 in the capital Kampala, according to the local newspaper. Daily monitoring.
Their neighbors are said to have reported the alleged torture to the authorities.
The American couple moved to the East African country in 2017 where they adopted three children
The couple moved to the East African country in 2017 to do humanitarian work and adopted three children a year later from Welcome set in the city of Jinja.
Among the three children is a 10-year-old boy who is HIV positive and attends a special needs school, according to police and local media reports.
Ugandan authorities said the Spencers “continuously tortured” the child starting in 2020, “which caught the attention of neighbours”, some of whom even videotaped the incident, the newspaper said. newspaper reports.
Nicholas Spencer and his wife, Mackenzie Leigh Mathias Spencer, pleaded not guilty after they were accused of torturing the children of a 10-year-old boy in their care while living on the outskirts of Kampala. A state prosecutor in Uganda said the couple was in danger of absconding https://t.co/ZhXA97xnv9 pic.twitter.com/FZGnTwE4pz
– Reuters (@Reuters) December 15, 2022
Authorities describe horrendous conditions foster parents impose on children with special needs
Authorities said the couple forced the boy to be barefoot and “bare throughout the day” and “occasionally made him squat in an awkward position, head down on the floor and arms outstretched”. according to Monitor.
According to police, the child was also forced to sleep on a wooden platform without a bed or mattress, and was given only cold meals.
The Daily Monitor quoted a caregiver who told police that the child had been criticized by his adoptive parents, who accused him of being mentally unstable, hyperactive and stubborn.
“I wanted to leave my job, but I knew if I left without doing anything about it, the torture would continue,” the carer said.
Couple pleads not guilty to torture and additional child trafficking charges that resulted in death penalty
They pleaded not guilty to initial charges of severe torture, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
On Tuesday, the couple were also charged with more serious child trafficking – a crime that could lead to the death penalty in Uganda, according to the state prosecutor.
An American couple living in Naguru, Kampala have been detained at Luzira prison after being charged in court with allegedly torturing a 10-year-old child.
Ms. Mackenzie Leing Mathias Spencer and Mr. Nicholas Spencer were accused of delivering harsh punishments to the child. pic.twitter.com/3NsCiqKEWz– Miracle (@FineMiracle4) December 12, 2022
The arrest report claims the Spencers recruited, transported and held the child through “abuse of a vulnerable position for the purposes of exploitation,” according to the source.
They appeared at the magistrate’s court on Tuesday, but were unable to make a plea on the new charges as only the Supreme Court could hear and were transferred to the Luzia Prison – a facility maximum security.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court trial date is yet to be scheduled for Thursday.
The couple’s lawyer claims police have no evidence, calling the case a “fishing expedition”
The couple’s attorney attempted to defend the couple, claiming that authorities had no evidence and describing the incident as a “fishing expedition,” as the Monitor reports.
“Last time we were in court, the state said the investigations were complete but today they added a new allegation and said the investigations are ongoing,” she told Agence France- Presse (AFP).
“It makes no sense.”
.@FredEnanga1: The Kampala Metropolitan Police has indicted two American adoptive parents for brutally torturing their ten-year-old adopted son, Kayima John Spencer. The suspects were identified as Nicholas Spencer and his wife, Mackenzie Spencer.#NBBSUpdates pic.twitter.com/0c9mwQu8at
– NBS TV (@nbstv) December 12, 2022
Their lawyers asked the court to release the Spencers, citing their unspecified health problems that could not be adequately treated in prison.
Bail application denied as prosecutors call couple a flight risk, US Embassy surveillance situation
However, their bail application was ultimately denied because prosecutors claimed there were no incurable illnesses in Uganda’s prison system.
Meanwhile, the Spencers were also denied bail due to the risk of absconding, prosecutors said, calling “the possibility of them escaping bail…really, very high,” according to the source.
Prosecutor Joan Keko said: “They have no community or family ties in Uganda, and the offense they are charged with is now of such a serious nature that it carries a penalty of life imprisonment, hence the possibility that they bail is very, very high.” court.