Simon Twesigye, also known as Tadius, was given a 45-year prison term by the High Court on Thursday for sodomizing four minors.
Kira Road Police detained Twesigye in 2019 on suspicion of sodomizing young people in the Kamwokya Church Zone, where he shared housing with the alleged victims.
Selling water, soda, and passion fruit juice in the neighbourhood was how he supported himself.
According to testimony given in court, Twesigye would try to teach the boys about the canals, and if they baulked, he would threaten to have them killed.
Twesigye would invite the victims into his room and show them pornographic movies, according to the evidence presented before the court.
“On other occasions, the defendant requested that the victims take their pants off. After that, he placed his penis between their thighs till the victim felt moisture there. He repeated what he did twice more, according to Justice Elubu.
According to court documents, Twesigye’s acts were reported by the kids to their parents, who then called the police. When the kids were examined, it was found that some of them exhibited traces of anal sexual activity while others showed no signs of anal or penile harm.
Twesigye, however, refuted the accusations, claiming he didn’t have a smartphone with which to show the kids pornographic movies. He further asserted that he had been set up.
Justice Elubu determined that the denial was implausible because their guardians had contributed to the evidence.
“The accused said that the crime was fabricated and denied committing it. However, the issue of whether the evidence was made up was rejected by this court. There is no evidence that I have seen to refute the testimony that the accused either touched the victim’s penis or used his penis to enter the anal entrance of the AO. The issue of resentment is untenable in this case, according to Justice Elubu.
The medical evidence, he said, had not revealed any indication of anal penetration on one of the boys, but the way the youngster had testified had led him to assume the boy was telling the truth.
Justice Elubu based his judgment on the fact that Twesigye definitely committed a sexual act when he inserted his penis between the victims’ thighs for his own personal pleasure.
“The thighs, for instance, are an essential component of the limb utilized for walking and support and are a part of the legs. Given that they are a component of the human structure, they are undoubtedly an organ. Therefore, the perpetrator in this case certainly committed a sexual act when he inserted his penis between the victim’s thighs for his own sexual satisfaction, according to Elubu.
Following Twesigye’s conviction, the prosecution, led by State Attorney Timothy Amerit, pleaded with the court to sentence him to life in prison, arguing that it was necessary to discourage future perpetrators because such crimes had become commonplace in society.
Twesigye pleaded for mercy, but Justice Elubu characterized him as a sexual predator who deserved a prison term and thought it wise and appropriate to sentence him to 45 years in prison.
Didas Mpagi, the head teacher of Real Infant Primary School in Wakiso District, was found guilty in October 2021 by the International Crimes Division of the High Court, which is presided over by Retired Justice David Wangututsi, of sodomizing six students who he had taken to offer a scholarship.
Mpagi received a life sentence.