Portuguese national jailed 4 years over aggravated trafficking

Court has sentenced a Portuguese national to 4 years imprisonment over charges of aggravated trafficking of a minor and prevention of trafficking in persons.

Carlos Alberto De Almedia, 60, has also been ordered to compensate his victim Shs30 million after pleading guilty to the two charges under the plea bargain arrangement with the state. 

Justice Andrew Bashaijja, of the International Crimes Division of the High Court convicted Alberto on his plea of guilty.

"You are hereby sentenced to four years as per your agreement with the prosecution and the period spent on remand is deducted. The convict will serve any balance as of today and upon completion, you will be deported from this country," the judge held.

Prosecution led by Mr Joseph Kyomuhendo told court that Shs30 million compensation to the victim has already been deposited with the court's registrar as per agreement.

According to the plea bargain agreement, the state raised three aggravating factors including the age difference between the convict and victim, abuse of power and that offence is serious and carries a maximum sentence of death.

Among his mitigation factors, Carlos raised; pleading guilty to the charges, remorseful, advanced age, family responsibilities back in Portugal and suffering from a grave illness of prostate cancer.

Background

Prosecution had stated that Alberto between April and May 2020 at Busibante Zone, Kira Division, Wakiso District received and harboured a minor by means of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability by means of giving or receiving of payments to achieve their consent to sexually exploit her.

According to the court documents, Carlos came to Uganda in August 2019 and he stayed in Ntinda with a girlfriend and later the two separated leading the accused to shift to Najjera in April 2020 where he rented an apartment.

Documents further indicate that Carlos met with the victim’s mother who was selling tea by the roadside together with two daughters and became a customer every morning.

“Towards the end of April, he requested the victim’s mother to allow her little daughter to go with him to his place of residence and wash his clothes. Instead, the mother requested that he brings the clothes and they wash from home and he picks them,” read in part the court documents.

The victim became friends with Carlos with whom they started living together in a two-bedroom house with her parents paying rent of Shs500,000 per month.

Court records show that while the family slept, Carlos would move from his bed to the victims’ bed and engage in inappropriate behaviour.

The victim's sister noticed this and shifted to their parents' room, which allowed the convict to exploit the victim

“The incident was reported to the victim’s father but he kept quiet. The victim went ahead and shifted her mattress from the convict’s room, however, her father forced her to take it back and was further defiled,” reads in part the court documents.

Carlos later complained about the house being bad thus suggesting that they shift to a spacious house with three bedrooms and indeed they shifted and started paying Shs1 million per month.

“In the new home, the victim and her sibling occupied one room while the parents the second room and Carlos the third room but he later complained that he was being discriminated against without allowing him to mix freely with the children,” documents further read.

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