A Ugandan court has mandated a U.S. couple facing charges of torturing their foster child to pay the child $26,000 (£20,700) in compensation.
This decision arose from a plea agreement, which also resulted in the court dismissing the charges of aggravated trafficking and torture against the couple.
These charges carried the potential of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The couple, Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer, were arrested last year and accused of subjecting a 10-year-old boy to two years of torture.
The child’s nanny had filed a police report, alleging that the couple repeatedly mistreated the child.
During the recent proceedings, the Spencers pleaded guilty to charges of cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment, working without permits, and staying unlawfully in Uganda.
They were fined 4.86 million Ugandan shillings for these offenses.
However, the court’s ruling has provoked outrage among child rights activists who view it as “a mockery of justice.”
Activist Proscovia Najjumba questioned how the court permitted the couple to “walk away” after acknowledging that they had “mistreated a child.”
Court documents revealed that the couple had subjected the child to various forms of mistreatment, including serving him cold food, making him sleep on a bare wooden platform without bedding, and forcing him into an “awkward position.”
Source-BBC
