Uganda: Woman sentenced to seven years for injecting step-son with HIV virus
The 27-year-old Colline Odyek appeared before the chief magistrate court to answer a charge of intentionally infecting a 5-year-old boy with HIV/Aids,
A chief magistrate court in Lira City, Uganda, has sentenced to seven years imprisonment a woman accused of injecting her stepson with her blood.
The 27-year-old Colline Odyek appeared before the chief magistrate court to answer a charge of intentionally infecting a 5-year-old boy with HIV/Aids, contrary to the HIV/Aids Prevention and Control Act.
The prosecution heard that the convict knowingly injected her five-year-old stepson with her own blood late in 2021.
The state prosecutor told the court that the convict did this maliciously because the child's father had annoyed her.
Court heard that the father of the child learned of the incident when the child narrated what had happened to him.
This prompted the father to involve the local authorities who referred the matter to the police, the court heard.
It is at this point that police picked interest in the matter causing the arrest of Odyek.
On January 17, Odyek made her first appearance before the court and was charged with Intentional transmission of HIV/Aids.
While appearing before the court sitting in Lira City, Odyek pleaded guilty to the charge against her as read by the prosecution.
This prompted the presiding chief magistrate, Samon Abiti Loum, to convict the accused on her own plea of guilt.
"You admitted all the ingredients of this offence. This offence carries a punishment of ten years imprisonment. You have been very remorseful, and pleaded guilty. I find that this deserves a deterrent sentence, and so in the consequence, I am sentencing the convict to serve 7 years Imprisonment, " ruled the chief magistrate.
