A United Nations judge deceived a young woman into coming to the UK to work as her slave while she studied at the University of Oxford, a court has heard.
Lydia Mugambe is accused of taking “advantage of her status” over her alleged victim in the “most egregious way”.
It is alleged she prevented the young Ugandan woman from holding down steady employment and forced her to work as her maid and to provide childcare for free.
Ms Mugambe denies the four charges against her.
Prosecutors allege that from the outset, Ms Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, had the intention of “obtaining someone to make her life easier and at the least possible cost to herself”.
She is accused of engaging in “illegal folly” with Ugandan deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa in which they conspired to arrange for the young woman to come to the UK.
The pair are alleged to have participated in a “very dishonest” trade-off, in which Mr Mugerwa allegedly arranged for the Ugandan High Commission to sponsor the woman’s entrance into the UK in exchange for Ms Mugambe attempting to speak to a judge who was in charge of legal action Mr Mugerwa was named in.
Ms Mugambe is also accused of arranging the alleged victim’s travel “with a view to her being exploited”, and of attempting to “intimidate” her alleged victim into dropping the case.
Oxford Crown Court heard the defendant had previously told police she had “diplomatic immunity” and could not be arrested due to her work as a judge in Uganda and at the UN.
Jurors were told the Metropolitan Police’s diplomatic team was contacted and confirmed Mugambe had no registered diplomatic immunity in the UK.
According to her UN profile page, Ms Mugambe was appointed to the body’s judicial roster in May 2023 – three months after police were called to her address in Oxfordshire.
Opening the case on Monday, Caroline Haughey KC said Ms Mugambe “took advantage of her status over [her alleged victim] in a most egregious way”.
“Ms Mugambe used her knowledge, and her power, to deceive [her alleged victim] into coming to the UK, taking advantage of her naivety to induce and deceive her into working for her for nothing.
She added that the judge, who had been studying for a PhD in law, had “created a situation where [her alleged victim] was deprived of the opportunity to support herself”.
The trial, expected to last three weeks, continues.
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