Oxford Crown Court finds Lydia Mugambe guilty of modern slavery offences
OXFORD — A United Nations judge is set to be sentenced following her conviction for forcing a young Ugandan woman to work as a domestic slave while she pursued her legal studies at the University of Oxford.
Lydia Mugambe, 50, a serving High Court judge in Uganda and a member of the UN’s judicial roster, was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court in March of multiple offences under the Modern Slavery Act. These included conspiring to breach UK immigration laws, facilitating travel for the purpose of exploitation, forced labour, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
Prosecutors told the jury that Mugambe exploited her legal status and the trust placed in her as an international jurist “in the most egregious way”, bringing a young woman from Uganda under false pretences and preventing her from holding down lawful employment. Instead, the victim was made to work as a maid and provide childcare within Mugambe’s home in Oxfordshire.
During the trial, the court heard that Mugambe misled the woman about her purpose in coming to the UK, arranging her visa through the Ugandan High Commission with assistance from deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa. In return, prosecutors said, Mugambe offered to speak to a judge presiding over a separate legal matter involving Mr Mugerwa, in what was described as a “very dishonest” trade-off.
Caroline Haughey KC, prosecuting, explained to jurors how Mugambe manipulated the victim’s lack of awareness about her employment rights and isolated her in the UK, effectively forcing her into servitude. The victim, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, told the court she felt “lonely” and “stuck”, and feared the consequences of disobeying Mugambe, who exerted considerable influence over her.
In video footage released by Thames Valley Police, Mugambe appeared visibly shocked when informed by officers that she was being arrested under the Modern Slavery Act. “I am a judge in my country,” she said. “I even have immunity. I am not a criminal.”
Yet the court heard how, following her arrest in February 2023, Mugambe continued to try to exert pressure on the young woman. Prosecutors presented evidence that the judge had contacted a pastor to facilitate contact with the victim and orchestrated attempts to influence the woman’s family back in Uganda in an effort to have her withdraw her support for the prosecution.
In addition, an email was sent to the victim in a further attempt to dissuade her from continuing with the case — actions which formed the basis of the conspiracy to intimidate a witness charge.
Mugambe denied all wrongdoing, claiming she had always treated the woman with “love, care, and patience”, and insisted that the chores carried out in her home were voluntary and informal. However, the jury found her guilty on all counts.
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According to her profile on the United Nations website, Mugambe was added to the UN’s judicial roster in May 2023, just three months after police attended her property. Her appointment is now expected to come under review pending the outcome of sentencing.
The case has drawn widespread condemnation from legal and human rights communities. Critics have described the conviction as a shocking betrayal of the values Mugambe was meant to uphold — both as a national judge and a representative of international justice.
A date for sentencing has yet to be announced. The court is expected to consider the aggravating factors surrounding the abuse of trust, the victim’s vulnerability, and the calculated efforts made to obstruct justice.
Thames Valley Police have urged any other potential victims or witnesses to come forward, stating: “This case sends a clear message: no one, no matter their position or title, is above the law.”
