34-year-old woman arrested for defiling 15-year-old patient

LAMWO, UGANDA: Police in Lamwo have arrested Catherine Akello, a 34-year-old female staff of Lukung Health Centre III in Lamwo district for allegedly defiling a 15-year-old boy.

Akello, who works as an information assistant at the facility was on Friday evening arrested from Lamwo District headquarters where she had turned up for a workshop after being on the run since October 12, 2021, when she committed the offense.

It is alleged that while at Lukung Health Centre III staff quarters, Akello followed her neighbor’s 15-year-old son to the bathroom where she allegedly defiled him at around 7:30pm.

The victim’s mother narrates she was prompted to follow up on her son after he took longer to return from the bathroom, only to find the suspect having sexual intercourse with her son in the bathroom.

A scuffle ensued between the victim’s mother and the suspect before she (suspect) fled the facility. She went into hiding until February 18, 2022 when she turned up for a workshop.
Police said the victim was subjected to a medical examination whose results indicated that he had been defiled.

The Aswa river region police spokesman, Mr David Ongom Mudong, said a case file is being processed to have the suspect arraigned before a court on Monday.

“It is true she was arrested and is being held at Lamwo Central Police Station waiting to be charged in court on Monday. A case of defilement has been preferred against her. It is so unfortunate that an adult woman who is expected to protect juveniles against perpetrators of defilement instead ended up victimizing him. The police condemn such acts and shall ensure that the suspect faces the law,” he said.

Mr Ongom noted that the suspect will also be subjected to medical examination to ascertain her health status.

According to the Ugandan law, defilement is an act of having sexual intercourse with a person under 18, an offence that attracts a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.