Man convicted for raping 70-year-old

Kampala. A 37-year-old man was yesterday convicted for raping a woman aged 70.
Geoffrey Ssengendo, a former casual labourer at the victim’s home, raped her former boss on November 26, 2015 in her house in Jagala Village, Kavule Parish in Gombe Sub-county, Wakiso District.
High Court Judge Jane Francis Abodo said prosecution had proved the cause of rape beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge noted that the victim recognised Ssengendo after touching his dreaded hair and hearing his voice as he threatened to kill her if she screamed. She also said he was wearing an overall and a cap, which she felt as she struggled with him.
“There was no reason as to why the police officer who arrested Ssengendo would have sided with the victim to say that the accused person had dreaded hair whereas not. They both saw him with the dreaded hair, which cannot be a mistaken identity,” Justice Abodo ruled.
“The accused also told court that he had dealt with the victim for a long time, so there is no way she would fail to recognise him,” the judge further noted.

Prosecution’s evidence
Prosecution stated that Ssengendo attacked the 70-year-old while it was raining.
The State presented the investigating officer Ezra Akampurira who gave details of Ssengendo’s arrest and the exhibits recovered.
The medical examination showed the victim was raped and was injured on her left arm. During the trial, the victim testified that in a bid to escape from Ssengendo, who had already broken into her house and raped her yet she had given up on sex a long time ago, she deceived him that she was HIV positive but he instead continued to sexually assault her.
In defence, Ssengendo said he had never had dreaded hair and had never entered the victim’s house even though he had worked for her as a casual labourer for three months.
The judge fixed tomorrow for the sentencing of the convict.