19-Year-Old Sentenced to 15 Years for Defiling 9-Year-Old Girl in Fort Portal

A 19-year-old man, Samuel Amanyire, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the High Court in Fort Portal for aggravated defilement of a nine-year-old girl.

Justice Vincent Wagona presided over the Monday session where Amanyire, initially denying the charges last week, changed his plea to guilty and sought a plea bargain with prosecutors and the victim’s family. The court approved it after a private session.

The incidents occurred in Nyamirima Zone, Ruteete sub-county, Kabarole district, where Amanyire worked as a casual laborer for the victim’s family. On March 19, 2025, he allegedly assaulted the girl alone in her grandmother’s kitchen at night, threatening her. A second attack happened on March 22 around 1 p.m., when he chased away her sibling and assaulted her in the house.

The mother caught him in the act, raised an alarm, and led to his arrest. Prosecution was handled by state attorney Harriet Adubango, with the victim represented by lawyer Ruth Ongom.

Ongom stated the family views the sentence as justice, noting Amanyire chose the plea bargain upon seeing strong evidence including the victim’s testimony, a police officer, and the village defence secretary. She highlighted how plea bargains speed up justice when witnesses are reliable.

Uganda Police’s 2025 Crime Report recorded 10,492 defilement cases, with 3,473 aggravated.

Source: The Observer (Uganda)