Sexual Crimes Top Criminal Division Marathon Court Sessions
Kampala. The Criminal Division started on a three in one marathon court session that is being handled by three Judges. The sessions which will run up to October will dispose of 170 cases.
According to the acting Registrar Criminal Division, HW Emmanuel Baguma, Hon. Justice Yasin Nyanzi will handle a Criminal Session in Entebbe; Hon. Justice Wilson Masalu Musene will handle partly heard cases while Hon. Justice John Wilson Kwesiga will handle a session at the High Court in Kampala. All these will goon simultaneously.
According to HW Baguma, of the 170 cases, 81 of these are sexual charges. "There are 66 aggravated defilement cases, 12 rape cases, two defilement cases and one attempted defilement case."
Statistics from the Annual Crime and Traffic/Road Safety Report 2013 of the Uganda Police Force reported defilement as the leading sex-related crime reported in Uganda.
The other category cases that dominate the marathon court sessions are robberies with 54 cases.
HW Baguma says the sessions are aimed to weed out old cases from the system.
In January, the Criminal Division came up with the strategy of receiving updated committals every month for easy monitoring and evaluation of the old cases to enable the division manage case backlog.
Posted 18th, August 2017
